Criminal Damage Compensation Scheme

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his answer of 19 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 1215-16W, on Criminal Damages Compensation 1997, how many applications under the Criminal Damages (Compensation) (Northern Ireland) 1977 Order were received from the Gaelic Athletic Association in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The information is as follows.
	
		
			  The Gaelic Athletic Association 
			   Number 
			 2004-05 2 
			 2005-06 0 
			 2006-07 0 
			 2007-08 0 
			 2008-09 7 
			 2009-10 to date 2 
			 Total 11 
		
	
	It is possible that there are other claims relating to GAA property within the Compensation Agencys records which could not be identified and which are not included in the above table.
	In cases relating to GAA property claims are usually submitted in the name of trustees who are the legal owners of the property which has been damaged. The trustees name does not always make reference to the GAA and the Compensation Agencys computer database does not therefore identify these as GAA claims. Since 2008-09 the Compensation Agency has kept a separate manual record of claims relating to GAA property.

Biofuels

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate the Forestry Commission has made of the future availability of biomass from forests managed by the Commission.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Forestry Commission maintains comprehensive records of the forests it manages including area, species, age, growth rates and intended management. This data is used to create and update its forecasts of future production.
	Current estimates are that the public forest estate in England will produce 1.4 million cubic metres of timber per annum over the next 10 years and that to harvest significantly more would not be sustainable.
	In addition to this, other wood material, for example, from small sized coppice or harvesting residues, can be chipped and used as biomass. No precise data is available on the quantities involved.
	Further information on the production and use of biomass and timber is included in the Commissions Forestry Statistics booklet. The 2009 edition has just been published and I have arranged for a copy to be placed in the Library of the House.

Common Fisheries Policy

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what priorities the Government has set for reform of the Common Fisheries Policy; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The European Commission published a Green Paper on CFP reform on 21 April 2009 to trigger the CFP reform process and prompt debate across the EU. That paper presents a Vision for EU fisheries in 2020 and presents ideas for making the Vision happen. Member states are asked to respond to the Green Paper and send these to the Commission by the end of 2009. We are in the process of developing a full UK response.
	The UK agrees with the main elements of the Vision which include recovered fish stocks, fish stocks exploited at sustainable levels, a financially robust industry, fishers more involved in technical decision making, better compliance with the rules and improved fisheries governance across the globe.
	The UK has similarly laid its own vision for future fisheriesFisheries 2027 which is closely aligned with the Commissions Vision. Since then the UK has set out clearly the key elements of that Vision, specifically at the May Council of Fisheries Ministers. These key elements are:
	fish stocks within safe biological limits;
	a prosperous and efficient fishing industry;
	recognition of the contribution of fishing to local communities; and
	fisheries management integrated with marine conservation.
	Ecological sustainability should be at the heart of delivering that Vision.

Departmental Postal Services

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which companies are under contract to his Department to provide mail services; and when each such contract expires.

Dan Norris: DEFRAs mail services are provided by the Royal Mail. This arrangement is in place until end March 2011, pending retendering of the pan-government framework arrangements operated currently by Buying Solutions. DEFRA will consider its arrangements with the Royal Mail in light of this exercise.

Departmental Telephone Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will consider the merits of securing accreditation of his Departments helplines to the Helplines Associations quality standard; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Norris: DEFRAs Helpline is currently accredited to ISO 9001. Additional and future renewal accreditations will take account of the full range of quality standards relevant to its operation.

Green Alliance: Finance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what payments his Department has made to  (a) Green Alliance and  (b) Friends of the Earth in the last 12 months.

Dan Norris: holding answer 26 October 2009
	The core-departments financial system records that in the last 12 months no payments have been made to Friends of the Earth and payments totalling £103,810 have been made to Green Alliance. Of this sum, £63,962.50 is expenditure on a research study into the Role of Restrictions on Landfill in UK Waste Policy, and £39,847.50 is for grant expenditure on Strategic Relationship Management: Third Sector Strategy. DEFRAs Third Sector Strategy can be viewed at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/about/how/third-sectorindex.htm

Japanese Knotweed: Weed Control

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to eradicate Japanese knotweed; what consideration has been given to the introduction of psyllid species as part of such measures; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: We have no plans to attempt eradication of Japanese knotweed. The cost of a national eradication programme using current techniques would be prohibitively expensive, estimated in the 2003 DEFRA Review of Non-native Species Policy to be in the region of £1.56 billion.
	DEFRA has contributed over £240,000 to a five-year scientific research project in collaboration with Cornwall council, the Environment Agency, the Welsh Assembly Government and others, into the natural control of Japanese knotweed. This study has identified the psyllid Aphalara itadori as highly specific to Japanese knotweed and a potential natural control agent. If successful, the control agent would limit the growth and natural spread of Japanese knotweed, and enhance the effectiveness of its management, but would not eradicate it.
	The psyllid has been tested against 87 plant species present in the UK, including all the members of the same genus, whether or not they are native, and all our native members of the same family, plus important crops and ornamentals.
	Applications have been submitted for licences to release the psyllid to the wild in England and Wales and the licensing authorities are giving careful consideration to the scientific evidence. This regulatory process has also included a public consultation by DEFRAs Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera), which was launched on 23 July. The consultation responses are currently being considered before the proposed licensing decisions are put to Ministers for approval.

Party Conferences

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether any of his Departments non-departmental public bodies sent representatives to attend one or more political party conferences in 2009.

Dan Norris: The Environment Agency, Natural England, the Commission for Rural Communities and the Consumer Council for Water attended the three main party conferences.

Renewable Energy: Exports

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the quantity of recovered fuel oil which was exported to other European countries in the last three years.

Dan Norris: DEFRA has not made an estimate of this kind. However, following the judgment of the Appeal Court in the OSS Group Ltd  v. Environment Agency case, the Environment Agency published on 1 August 2008 an interim statement on the regulation of waste oil. The Environment Agency's statement is available on its website and sets out the circumstances in which the Agency considers that fuel derived wholly or partially from waste lubricating oil has been fully recovered and has ceased to be waste. The statement also sets out the specification that currently applies in these circumstances.
	The Environment Agency's interim statement was published pending the development by the Agency of an end-of-waste protocol for fuels derived from waste lubricating oils. The Government have notified the Agency's post consultation draft of its end-of-waste protocol for the production and use of processed fuel oil from waste lubricating oils to the European Commission in compliance with Technical Standards Directive (98/34/EC). The initial three-month standstill period required under the directive ends on 30 November 2009.

Cycling: Safety

Lembit �pik: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what steps he plans to take to improve the safety of cyclists.

Paul Clark: There are a number of initiatives under way at present, aimed at improving the safety of cyclists. These include promoting Bikeability cycle training for children; providing advice to child and adult cyclists on safe road use through the Highway Code and the THINK! road safety campaign, including use of protective equipment such as high visibility clothing and cycle helmets; providing more safe cycle routes to schools and other locations; guidance to local authorities on the design of safer road infrastructure, including effective cycle-specific measures as well as more general measures that benefit all road users such as 20 miles per hour (mph) zones; improvements to motor vehicle driver testing and training; and new measures on lorry mirrors to improve the visibility of cyclists and pedestrians.
	In addition, the Department for Transport has commissioned a research project looking at a range of cycle safety issues. The project commenced on 21 August 2008 and will run for 24 months. The Department expects to publish the final reports in autumn 2010.
	Our proposals for a new road safety strategy A Safer Way, published for consultation in April 2009, include a new target to halve the rate of cycle and pedestrian casualties per kilometre travelled. This recognises the need to encourage more cycling and walking as well as making them safer. Measures to achieve this include stronger guidance to local authorities to adopt 20 mph speed limits in residential streets and other areas with high levels of walking and cycle activity. We intend to publish our final road safety strategy later this year.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much the operator of the Dartford-Thurrock crossing has received under its contract with the Department since April 2008; and how much revenue has accrued to the Department from the operation of the crossing since April 2008.

Sadiq Khan: The Road User Charging Order Accounts for the financial year 2008-09 will set out the revenue collected and the amount paid to Le Crossing Company Limited, previous operators of the Dartford Crossing. This data will not be available until early next year. When published, these Accounts will be placed in the Libraries of the House and on the Highways Agencys website.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Tolls

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of the merits of installing a modern payment system which does not require vehicles to stop to pay with cash on the Dartford Crossing; and if he will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: holding answer 29 October 2009
	A payment system which does not require vehicles to stop and pay cash is already available at the Dartford Crossing. The Dart-tag system at the crossing is based on dedicated short range communications (DSRC) technology and complies with EU directive 2004/52/EC (Interoperability of Electronic Road Toll Systems). This is a pre-payment system available for all classes of vehicle and does not involve cash handling at the plaza.
	A Dart-Tag is a computer chip based device that fixes to the inside of the vehicles windscreen. Equipment installed in the toll booths automatically scans the personalised Dart-Tag, and providing the drivers account is in credit, the barrier rises automatically.
	The Department for Transport intends to look further at the potential benefits of credit card payments and newer technologies at the Dartford Crossing.

Motor Vehicles: Environment Protection

Lembit �pik: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment has been made of the effects of  (a) motorcycles and  (b) cars on the environment in the period from 2006 to 2009.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport has not conducted a specific assessment on this subject. However, the Department did publish research on improving road transport emissions modelling in June 2009, which can be found at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/environment/emissions/
	This research includes an updated database of road vehicle emissions factors. These characterise the average emissions rates of different types of vehicles as a function of the average speed at which they are driven. This database includes emissions factors (both air quality and greenhouse gas emissions) for different sizes of cars and motorcycles.

Waterloo International

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport on what date ownership of Waterloo International passed from  (a) the British Rail (Residuary) body to his Department; and  (b) his Department to Network Rail.

Chris Mole: The Waterloo International Terminal was transferred directly from Eurostar (UK) Ltd. to BRB (Residuary) Ltd. (BRBR) on 27 March 2008. The facility remains in BRBRs ownership.

Film

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent steps his Department has taken to support the UK film industry.

Si�n Simon: The Government have recently announced that they will commit £45 million to establish a new state-of-the-art national film centre on Londons South Bank, on top of the £25 million investment in the UKs screen heritage previously announced. The new BFI National Film Centre will showcase the best of British and world cinema across five screens, as well as creating an innovative new space for exhibitions, cultural events, research and study.
	The Government provided £34.834 million of grant funding to the UK Film Council for 2009-10. The UK Film Council invests grant in aid and lottery money in developing new filmmakers, in funding exciting new British films, in getting a wider choice of films to audiences throughout the UK, and in awarding £16 million annually to the BFI to fund activities which include the preservation of the film archives. The UK Film Council also invests in training, promoting Britain as an international filmmaking location and in raising the profile of British films abroad.
	The Government provide tax relief to support filmmakers; in 2008-09 film production companies benefited from £100 million worth of tax credit.

Horse Racing: Towcester

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the regulatory regime on the future of Towcester racecourse in light of the agreement between the racecourse and its bookmakers for the tenure of on-course bookmakers listing positions.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I have not made a recent detailed assessment of the regulatory regime on the future of Towcester Racecourse but I did meet their representatives at the outset of the on-course discussions and have taken a close interest in the developments. I was delighted to attend a reception hosted by Towcester Racecourse on 27 October to announce the agreement they have reached with their on-course bookmakers and I encourage other race courses to consider similar agreements.

Swimming: Concessions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people took part in his Departments free swimming initiative in the last 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: The number of unique participants in the Free Swimming Programme is not collected centrally. Local authorities are responsible for collecting data on the number of free swims that have taken place in their area each month. The latest figures, published on 27 October 2009, showed that 10,373,811 free swims have taken place in the six months since the programmes launch on 1 April 2009.
	The Government have commissioned a robust independent evaluation of the Free Swimming Programme which is led by PricewaterhouseCoopers. PricewaterhouseCoopers will draw together a range of data over the coming months to provide an estimate of the number of people that have taken part in free swimming. We expect an evaluation report to be published in early summer 2010.

VisitBritain: Finance

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much the move of VisitBritain and VisitEngland to new headquarters cost; what the estimated operating cost is for the new headquarters in each of the next three years; and what the operating costs were for  (a) VisitBritains and  (b) VisitEnglands former headquarters in each of the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: The information regarding the move of VisitBritain and VisitEngland to new headquarters is held by VisitBritain.
	I have therefore asked VisitBritains chief executive to answer the question raised by the hon. Member for Bath and to write to him direct.
	Copies of the letter will be placed in the Library of both Houses.

VisitBritain: Finance

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent on the VisitBritain website in each of the last five years; how many visitors the website received in each of those years; and what the average hit rate was for individual accommodation business web pages in each of those years.

Margaret Hodge: The VisitBritain website is the responsibility of VisitBritain.
	I have therefore asked VisitBritains chief executive to answer the question raised by the hon. Member for Bath and to write to him direct.
	Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

World Heritage Sites

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many applications for locations in England to become World Heritage Sites are outstanding; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 2 November 2009
	The UK Tentative List, published in 1999, identified 25 sites for potential nomination for World Heritage status, 15 of which are located in England. Six English sites have since been inscribed on the World Heritage List. One English site, Darwins Landscape Laboratory, was submitted to UNESCO in 2009 and will be considered by the World Heritage Committee at its annual meeting in 2010.
	The Government are currently reviewing its World Heritage policy including making nominations in the future and expects to make an announcement later this autumn.

Carer's Allowance: St Albans

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in St Albans constituency  (a) are entitled to and  (b) receive carers allowance.

Jonathan R Shaw: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of people entitled to carers allowanceSt. Albans constituency: February 2009 
			   Number 
			 Total with entitlement 850 
			 Total with entitlement only 350 
			 Total receiving payment 500 
			  Notes: 1. Caseload totals show the number of people who are entitled to receive carers allowance, including those who receive no actual payment. 2. Carers entitled to receive carers allowance may not be paid it because they receive an overlapping benefit equal to or greater than their weekly rate of carers allowance. 3. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 4. Figures are published on the Department for Work and Pensions website at: www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/tabtool.asp  Source: Department for Work and Pensions Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Departmental Postal Services

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which companies are under contract to her Department to provide mail services; and when each such contract expires.

Jim Knight: DWP's primary postal provider remains Royal Mail Group. There is no contract or expiry date and we have an annually agreed memorandum of understanding. Other contracted DWP postal providers are as follows:
	UK Maila contract for system generated second class mail to DWP customers. The DWP contract runs until 31 March 2010 and there is scope to extend this contract until 31 March 2011.
	Spring Global Maila contract for international mail to DWP customersdue to expire 30 April 2010.
	DWP's contracted courier provider is TNTthe contract is until 31 January 2010, with an option to extend until 31 March 2012. The courier service is for internal items sent between DWP offices and third party providers - it is not used for delivery to DWP customers' home addresses.

Departmental Telephone Services

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations she has received on changing the charging arrangements for helplines operated by her Department and its agencies to allow mobile telephone users to contact such helplines without incurring additional costs; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: holding answer 26 October 2009
	Over the course of the year, representations have been received from other Members of Parliament, on similar issues, such as the cost of 0845 numbers to customers using mobile phones to contact the Department for Work and Pensions. All of these have been answered fully and are available on record.
	Additionally, DWP's Permanent Secretary was asked to comment on the CAB publication, Hung UpThe Cost of Contacting Government from a Mobile Phone A response was provided as requested.

Employers' Liability

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many organisations legally required to have an employers liability insurance policy in force were prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive for  (a) failure to display a notice at a place of work giving details of such a policy and  (b) failure to have such a policy in force in (i) 2004-05, (ii) 2005-06, (iii) 2006-07, (iv) 2007-08 and (v) 2008-09.

Jim Knight: holding answer 29 October 2009
	The number of dutyholders the Health and Safety Executive have prosecuted for failure to  (a) display a notice of employers' liability insurance or  (b) failure to hold employers liability insurance are as follows:
	
		
			   (a) Failure to display  (b)  No insurance 
			 2004-05 1 14 
			 2005-06  5 
			 2006-07  8 
			 2007-08  5 
		
	
	Figures for 2008-09 will be available in November 2009.

Jobcentre Plus: Manpower

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) permanent,  (b) temporary and  (c) agency staff have been employed in (i) benefit delivery centres and (ii) customer-facing job centres operated by Jobcente Plus in Mid-Bedfordshire constituency in each year since 2004.

Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is the responsibility of the acting chief executive, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many (a) permanent (b) temporary and (c) agency staff have been employed in (i) Benefit Delivery Centres and (ii) customer-facing Jobcentres operated by Jobcentre Plus in Mid-Bedfordshire constituency in each year since 2004. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	There are two Jobcentres in the Mid-Bedfordshire constituency, but no Benefit Delivery Centres. Our Benefit Delivery Centres at Luton and Watford cater for people who live within the constituency.
	Information below national level for the period prior to 2006/07 is not available. The table below sets out data for both Jobcentres for each of the years 2006/07, 2007/08 and 2008/09, broken down by permanent, fixed-term appointment and temporary staff. Also included is the position as at July 2009. We do not employ agency staff.
	
		
			  Staff employed by Jobcentre Plus in Mid-Bedfordshire constituency 
			   Bedford Jobcentre  Biggleswade Jobcentre 
			  2006/07   
			 Permanent 77 10 
			 Fixed Term Appointment   
			 Temporary   
			 Total 77 10 
			
			  2007/08   
			 Permanent 69 11 
			 Fixed Term Appointment 3  
			 Temporary   
			 Total 72 11 
			
			  2008/09   
			 Permanent 85 12 
			 Fixed Term Appointment 12 3 
			 Temporary 1  
			 Total 98 15 
			
			  July 2009   
			 Permanent 72 10 
			 Fixed Term Appointment 29 7 
			 Temporary 5  
			 Total 106 17 
			  Notes: 1. Headcount figures are quoted in full-time equivalents using the Office for National Statistics definitions for counting headcount and details the position at March for each of the last three years. 2. The figures have been rounded to whole numbers.  Source: The data provided are taken from Dataview, an electronic extract drawn from payroll.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Derbyshire

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what average length of time jobseeker's allowance claimants, resident in West Derbyshire, received the allowance in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: holding answer 26( ) October 2009
	The following table shows the average length of jobseeker's allowance claims in West Derbyshire in the last five years.
	
		
			   West Derbyshire 
			   Claims terminated during period  Median length 
			 October 2004 to September 2005(1) 1,735 9.5 
			 October 2005 to September 2006(1) 1,740 10.1 
			 October 2006 to September 2007(1) 1.975 9.7 
			 October 2007 to September 2008(1) 1,805 8.5 
			 October 2008 to September 2009(1) 3,030 9.2 
			 (1) Inclusive.   Notes:  1. Claims terminated during period are rounded to the nearest 5.  2. Median is measured in number of weeks. 3. Median is the preferred measure of average for duration of claim, rather than arithmetic mean which would be unduly influenced by outliers.   Source:  DWP WPLS 100 per cent. data.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Employment Schemes

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobseekers allowance claimants have moved on to employment support allowance in each of the last 12 months.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not collated centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many British  (a) citizens and  (b) residents have been captured by (i) British and (ii) coalition forces in Afghanistan in each province in each year since 2001;
	(2)  how many British citizens and residents captured in Afghanistan have subsequently been charged with a crime; how many were released without charge; and how many have been detained without charge;
	(3)  how long on average British citizens and residents captured by British and coalition forces in Afghanistan since 2001 have been detained; and in which countries they have been detained;
	(4)  how many British citizens and residents captured in Afghanistan and subsequently charged with a crime remain in custody.

Bob Ainsworth: No UK citizens or residents have been captured by British forces in Afghanistan since 2001.
	Her Majestys Government are aware of six UK citizens captured by coalition forces in Afghanistan since 2001, all of whom were subsequently transferred to Guantanamo Bay. None of these individuals were charged with a crime and all have since been released without charge. The average period of detention by coalition forces, including time spent at Guantanamo Bay, for these individuals was approximately two and a half years.
	It is not possible to be specific about the number of UK residents captured by coalition forces. When detained an individual will be asked their nationality, not their country of residence, and may choose not to offer this information. It should also be noted that coalition forces are not obliged to inform us of when they detain a non-UK national; therefore, we may not be informed when a British resident has been detained. Furthermore, while an individual may have resided in the UK it will not always be possible to determine whether they were lawfully resident. For this reason, any figure we give cannot be definitive. We are, however, aware of at least one UK resident captured by coalition forces in Afghanistan since 2001, and who was subsequently transferred to Guantanamo Bay where he remains detained without charge.

Armed Forces: Housing

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the detailed analysis of the net profit and loss accrued from the management of Service Families Accommodation by Defence Estates in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: The main constituents of income and expenditure in relation to the management of Service Families Accommodation within the UK for the financial years (FY) 2006-07 to 2008-09 are provided in the following table. Comparable and consistent data prior to FY 2006-07 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Actual 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Service and rental charges to Annington Homes 146 152 150 
			 Service and rental charges to PFI contractors 21 23 24 
			 Charge in lieu of council tax (CILOCT) 51 53 59 
			 Maintenance costs for reactive, pre-planned maintenance and the strategic facilities programme 136 147 126 
			 Upgrade programme costs to upgrade properties to standard 1 condition 19 30 40 
			 Substitute accommodation provided through open market rental and bulk leasing 18 18 23 
			 Staff costs 19 16 17 
			 Gross cost 410 439 439 
			 Income received from occupants for the property and CILOCT (125) (129) (138) 
			 Net cost to MOD 285 310 301 
		
	
	Accurate and consistent data for overseas Service Family Accommodation is not held centrally.

Armed Forces: Meat

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence from which countries  (a) beef,  (b) pork,  (c) chicken,  (d) lamb and  (e) bacon has been procured for consumption by military personnel in each of the last three years.

Quentin Davies: Catering, Retail and Leisure (CRL) contracts are being introduced across the UK, which include the feeding of service personnel living in UK units. These account for around 60 per cent. of service personnel fed. CRL incorporates pay as you dine arrangements, the responsibility for food procurement is therefore passed to the CRL contractor and data are not held in the format requested.
	For UK armed forces personnel in barracks (when personnel are not being fed under the CRL contracts), and those serving on operations and overseas exercises, there is a single food supply contract for which the following information is available:
	
		
			  Meat  Country of origin 
			 Beef UK, Uruguay, Brazil, New Zealand/Australia and other EU 
			 Pork UK 
			 Chicken UK, Brazil and other EU 
			 Lamb UK, Uruguay and New Zealand/Australia 
			 Bacon, including Gammon UK and other EU 
		
	
	The county of origin given in the table is for the current financial year. Historical data relating to the country of origin are not held.

Departmental Official Visits

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much on average it cost his Department to provide overnight accommodation for  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials travelling (i) in the UK and (ii) overseas in an official capacity in the latest period for which figures are available.

Kevan Jones: The information requested can be found at the following link:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/ministers.aspx
	The list includes the total cost of each visit made by all Ministers, detailing the number of officials accompanying them where non-scheduled travel was used, including travel and accommodation. These details are available for the last two financial years and prior to this the information is published for Cabinet Ministers only.
	There is not a Cabinet Office requirement for Departments to report ministerial UK travel expenditure. The MOD records this information on the Departments claims and financial systems, however, the data is not held in the requested format. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Helicopter Carriers

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when HMS Ocean is expected to leave service with the fleet.

Bill Rammell: On present planning assumptions, HMS OCEAN will be withdrawn from service in 2022.

Community Relations: Finance

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 23 April 2009,  Official Report, column 872W, on community relations: finance, how much funding each organisation will receive from the Community Leadership Fund in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11.

Shahid Malik: The Community Leadership Fund allocations for 2009-10 and 2010-11 broken down by organisation are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Organisation  2009-10  2010-11 
			 Al-Khoei Foundation 30,000.00 0.00 
			 Al-Manaar 50,000.00 50,000.00 
			 Ashram Housing Association 100,000.00 50,000.00 
			 Bold Creative 60,000.00 70,000.00 
			 Bradford Police Club 30,000.00 30,000.00 
			 British Muslim Forum 13,495 0.00 
			 Business in the Community 50,000.00 0.00 
			 Chiltern District Council 3,000.00 0.00 
			 Citizenship Foundation 50,000.00 40,000.00 
			 Dervish Arts 20,000.00 0.00 
			 Ethnic Minority Benevolent Association 50,000.00 50,000.00 
			 Faith Matters (three separate projects) 182,337.50 0.00 
			 Gateshead Interfaith Forum 9,925.00 0.00 
			 GW Theatre 76,600.00 75,200.00 
			 Halton Borough Council 3,000.00 0.00 
			 Henna Foundation 52,525.00 68,250.00 
			 Kali 14,856.66 13,300.00 
			 Karimia Institute 50,000.00 50,000.00 
			 Khayaal Theatre 126,771.00 73,822.00 
			 League of British Muslims 25,000.00 25,000.00 
			 London Metropolitan University 60,000.00 0.00 
			 Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board 58,000.00 0.00 
			 Muslim Welfare Association 3,000.00 0.00 
			 Muslim Womens Network UK 20,000.00 30,000.00 
			 Muslim Youth Helpline 61,888.00 64,767.00 
			 Rahabar Trust with the Urdu Times 22,500.00 12,500.00 
			 Somali Family Support Group 15,645.00 33,780.00 
			 The Dialogue Society 33,850.00 32,700.00 
			 The Princes Trust 52,000.00 54,000.00 
			 Three Faiths Forum 15,000.00 0.00 
			 Timebank (One20) 60,000.00 50,000.00 
			 Ulfah Arts 10,000.00 20,000.00 
			 Unity FM 38,760.00 33,760.00 
			 Urban Nexus 94,400.00 72,100.00 
			 Yorkshire and Humber BME Panel 30,000.00 25,000.00 
			 Zakat Trust (Islamic Society of Britain) 20,000.00 0.00 
			 Zakat Trust (Young Muslims UK) 20,000.00 0.00 
			 Total 1,612,553.16 1,024,179.00

Community Relations: Finance

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 11 March 2009,  Official Report, column 479W, on community relations, how much his Department plans to spend on each type of national Prevent-related project in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11; and how much funding each organisation undertaking such projects will receive for that work in each such year.

Shahid Malik: The Department supports Prevent-related national projects in a number of areas including: building community resilience; engaging and empowering young Muslims and Muslim women; local partnerships and delivery; faith capacity and leadership; communications; research and evaluation.
	Specific national projects supporting these areas of work and how much the Department plans to spend on these in 2009-10 and 2010-11 is listed as follows:
	
		
			  Specific project  Organisation  Funding in 2009-10 (£)  Funding in 2010-11 (£) 
			 Contextualising Islam in Britain Cambridge University 56,500 n/a 
			 Islam and Citizenship Education (this is CLGs contribution. DCSF have also contributed jointly) School Development and Support Agency 60,000 75,000 
			 Radical Middle Way (RMW) RMW 275,000 TBA 
			 Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board (MINAB) MINAB 208,000 TBA 
			 FSCU (Charity Commission) Charity Commission 300,000 TBA 
			 Piloting of the minimum standards for Muslim chaplains engaged by public institutions Faith Matters 64,130 n/a 
			 Muslim Faith Leader Training Review Gloucestershire University 159,850 n/a 
			 Improvement and Development Agency, Peer support and review IDeA 316,518 TBA 
			 Capacity building grant to help improve local Prevent delivery Government Offices 750,000 750,000 
			 Creative Partnerships to promote positive alternative activities for young people Creative Partnerships 250,000 250,000 
			 Communications toolkit for local partners: to support delivery of local Prevent communications Bold Creative 20,000 n/a 
			  National research projects:
			 (a) Qualitative pilot Ethnos 52,065 n/a 
			 (b) Literature review Office for Public Management (OPM) 18,345 n/a 
			 (c) Understanding trends within Islam Community Relations Initiative Ipsos MORI/BMRM Consortium 8,130 n/a 
			 (d) Citizenship Survey    
			  National Muslim Womens Advisory Group: supporting three projects:
			 (a) Role modelling Equal to the Occasion 61,980 20,150 
			 (b) Civic participation Political Skills Forum 35,910 TBA 
			 (c) Examining the role of women from a theological perspective TBA TBA TBA 
			 Young Muslims Advisory Group Office for Public Management (OPM) 164,883 50,850 
			 Rapid Evaluation Assessment De Montfort University 42,320 n/a 
			 Building community resilience through the Community Leadership Fund Full list of organisations listed in  Hansard: HL3068; answered 30 April 2009,  Official Report, column WA44 1,569,485 1,024,179

Council Tax: East of England

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average change in the level of council tax from one year to the next has been in each county in the East of England in each year since 1999.

Barbara Follett: Details of the year-on-year change in average Band D council tax for the six county councils in the East of England region are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			   2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Bedfordshire 52 52 91 122 92 59 66 61 64  
			 Cambridgeshire 62 58 106 97 86 54 59 62 64 56 
			 Essex 60 63 86 155 67 40 57 58 58 35 
			 Hertfordshire 57 49 83 163 67 57 59 63 61 49 
			 Norfolk 51 59 93 149 75 39 62 64 59 46 
			 Suffolk 55 57 108 182 53 36 56 57 59 39 
		
	
	The figures are calculated from data reported on the Budget Requirement (BR1 and BR2) forms submitted annually by all billing and precepting authorities in England.
	No figure is given for Bedfordshire for 2009-10 as, following the reorganisation of councils in that county from 1 April 2009, Bedfordshire county council ceased to exist.
	The underlying data used in calculating the annual change are calculated by dividing the sum of the council tax requirement for all billing and precepting authorities in the county area by the average Band D council taxbase for the county. No unitary authorities were included in the calculations and the data also exclude the element of the police and fire authority council tax requirement for the unitary authority areas.

Departmental Cost Effectiveness

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to implement the efficiency recommendations within the Operational Efficiency Programme; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: My Department is fully engaged in delivering the Operational Efficiency Programmes (OEP) agenda and is harnessing the support of our arms length bodies to do so.
	As recommended by the OEP report I have been appointed VfM Minister for the Department.
	The Department has made good progress in considering the key benchmarks to drive performance improvement in back office functions as recommended in the OEP report and is awaiting the publication of that information. It is also well engaged with the collaborative procurement agenda, and has established its own Collaborative Procurement Forum. My Department is represented on the OGCs collaborative procurement steering group which reviews this type of activity in the wider public sector, including the local authorities.

Departmental Telephone Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will consider the merits of securing accreditation of his Departments helplines to the Helplines Associations quality standard; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not have any plans to secure accreditation of its telephone information lines to the Helplines Associations quality standard. At present, the Department has no helplines although it does have a public inquiry service which responds to general inquiries made to the Department. However, we are continually seeking to improve the levels of service we provide to the public, and will investigate the benefits of such accreditation.

Fire Services: Pensions

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2009,  Official Report, column 585W, on fire services: pensions, when he expects the Government Actuarys report on firefighters pension schemes to be published.

Barbara Follett: The Government Actuarys report on the firefighters pension schemes will be issued to the Firefighters Pension Committee in advance of its meeting on 18 November. Copies will be available from that date also on the Communities and Local Government website, and be placed in the Library.

Local Government Finance: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how much Tamworth borough council raised in council tax revenue in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how much Tamworth borough council received from central Government in cash terms in each of the last six years;
	(3)  what the ratio between central Government funding and council tax revenue for Tamworth borough council was in each of the last eight years.

Barbara Follett: The information requested on central Government grant in cash terms, the council tax requirement and the ratio between central Government grant and the council tax requirement in each of the last eight years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Tamworth borough council 
			   Central Government grant (£000)  Council tax requirement (£000)  Ratio 
			 2001-02 4,973 2,055 2.42 
			 2002-03 5,135 2,219 2.31 
			 2003-04 6,137 2,383 2.58 
			 2004-05 5,623 2,570 2.19 
			 2005-06 6,523 2,726 2.39 
			 2006-07 7,460 2,865 2.60 
			 2007-08 7,615 3,040 2.50 
			 2008-09(1) 7,823 3,203 2.44 
			 (1 )Provisional outturn,  Source: Communities and local government revenue outturn (RO) returns 
		
	
	Local authority council tax requirement is the council tax available to finance revenue expenditure, not council tax collected.
	Central Government grant is defined here as the sum of formula grant (revenue support grant and redistributed non-domestic rates) and specific grants inside aggregate external finance (AEF), i.e. revenue grants paid for council's core services. For 2008-09 it also includes area based grant (ABG).
	Figures exclude grants outside AEF (i.e. where funding is not for authorities' core services, but is passed to a third party, for example, rent allowances and rebates), capital grants, funding for the local authorities housing management responsibilities and those grant programmes (such as European funding) where authorities are simply one of the recipients of funding paid towards an area.
	Comparisons across years may not be valid owing to changing local authority responsibilities.

Non-Domestic Rates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons business revaluation transitional relief will not apply to supplementary business rates from April 2010.

Barbara Follett: Transitional relief is provided to limit and phase in significant increases in business rate liability resulting from the regular five yearly revaluation of business rates. The majority of business properties60 per cent.will see their rates liability fall as a result of the 2010 revaluation. The minority facing large increases will benefit from £2 billion worth of transitional relief.
	Transitional relief is a national scheme which is funded by other business ratepayers. Extending it to increases resulting from the introduction of a local business rate supplement would raise the possibility of ratepayers in parts of the country, where rateable values have gone down as a result of revaluation, being asked to pay for relief on an increase which does not result from revaluation but is, instead, the result of a local business rate supplement that is not being levied in their area and, therefore, not bringing any benefits to them.
	Any increase in a ratepayer's liability due to a local decision to levy a supplement on the business rate to fund additional projects to promote the economic development of the local area is independent of revaluation 2010. Transitional relief is not, and has never been, intended to target increases in liability resulting from factors other than revaluationfor instance, increases resulting from a property's rateable value rising above the rateable value thresholds which determine whether it is eligible for other rate reliefs, or whether it is liable to pay a local supplement on the national non-domestic rate. Where a local authority exercises its discretionary power to levy a business rate supplement, it has discretion to set the rateable value threshold below which a property is exempt from paying the supplement anywhere above a minimum of £50,000 rateable value.

Non-Domestic Rates

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 16 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1131W, on non-domestic rates, whether the 2010-11 multipliers which will take into account the 2010 revaluation and negative level of Retail Price Index inflation will be adjusted to entail a cash terms  (a) reduction in overall tax yield,  (b) freeze in the overall tax yield and  (c) increase in the overall tax yield; and what his most recent estimate is of the level of business rates tax yield in 2010-11.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 26 October 2009
	The multipliers are set in accordance with Schedule 7 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 and the increases in the business rates multipliers each year are capped by the previous Septembers RPI. Under the same legislation, the multipliers will also be adjusted to ensure that the overall tax yield does not increase as a result of the 2010 revaluation. The Government have no plans to amend the way that the multipliers are calculated.
	The most recent estimate of business rates gross revenue for 2010-11 is £23,445,000,000. This is consistent with the figure in the consultation document The transitional arrangements for the non-domestic rating revaluation, published on July 8, 2009. The document can be found on the CLG website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/nndrrevaluation2010
	This is a broad estimate and does not take account of the impact that the September RPI inflation will have on the multipliers, transitional relief or any other reliefs applicable to businesses.
	The five-yearly business rates revaluations make sure each business pays its fair contribution and no more by ensuring the share of the national rates bill paid by any one business reflects changes over time in the value of their property relative to others. The 2010 revaluation will not raise a single extra penny for Government.
	Over a million properties will see their business rate liabilities come down as a result of revaluation. The Government intend to put in place a £2 billion relief scheme to limit the impact on the minority with bill increases. This is on top of the wider support available to help ease business pressures including discounted rate bills for small businesses and deferring tax payments.

Planning Permission: Appeals

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria are applied in cases where he personally intervenes to fix a date for an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate.

Ian Austin: Procedural guidance on inquiries is on the Planning Portal website:
	http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/pins/procedural_guidance_planning_appeals.pdf
	A Good Practice Advice Note on bespoke casework is also on the Planning Portal website:
	http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/pins/pins-gpa-5-2009_bespoke-casework.pdf

Roads: Lighting

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the potential effect on  (a) energy usage and  (b) expenditure of the installation of environmentally-friendly LED street lights.

Dan Norris: I have been asked to reply.
	No analysis has been carried out specifically to estimate the energy usage and cost of LED street lighting. However, DEFRA is in the process of updating its 2008 consultation on sustainable products. The consultation is published via the Governments Market Transformation Programme and more information is available on its website at:
	www.mtprog.com/cms/whitepaper
	The updated paper includes a section on the energy efficiency of street and traffic lighting and will be published shortly for consultation.

Tony Clements

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 16 July 2009,  Official Report, column 656W, on Tony Clements, whether Mr. Clements was appointed to the post as Policy Adviser through a process of open competition; whether the job vacancy filled by Mr. Clements was advertised on the public part of the Civil Service Recruitment Gateway; and whether his position is subject to standard Civil Service terms and conditions.

Barbara Follett: Mr. Clements was recruited through a fixed-term appointment, under one of the permitted exceptions for fair and open competition contained in the Civil Service Commissioners' Recruitment Principles. There is no automatic requirement to advertise such appointments through open competition or on the public part of the Civil Service Recruitment Gateway, and this post was not advertised through either route. This position is subject to standard Civil Service terms and conditions.

House of Commons: Offices

Douglas Carswell: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission 
	(1)  how many unutilised square metres of office space there were on the House of Commons part of the parliamentary estate in each year since the opening of the 2005 Parliament;
	(2)  how many empty offices there are on the House of Commons part of the parliamentary estate.

Nick Harvey: The number of vacant rooms on the House of Commons estate fluctuates constantly as requirements change or maintenance work is carried out. Only records of current vacancies are maintained.
	At present there are 14 unoccupied offices on the estate with a total area of 230m(2). Six of these offices are vacant to enable major roof works to take place in the area known as the Yellow Submarine north of Speakers Court.
	There are 2,100m(2) of, open plan offices leased in No. 4 Millbank for use as decant space. Of this, 500m(2) is currently vacant, awaiting fit-out.
	There are also 2,800m(2) of vacant, open plan space which is the House of Commons area of No. 14 Tothill street, a building leased in October 2007 and shared with the House of Lords. This area will be fitted out and available for use by the Department of Resources in autumn 2010.

Refreshment Dept: Finance

John Hayes: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how much subsidy was provided for each  (a) eatery and  (b) bar in the House of Commons part of the Palace of Westminster in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the most recent estimate is of the level of usage of each such outlet by (A) hon. Members, (B) visitors, (C) hon. Members' staff and (D) House staff.

Nick Harvey: The House does not provide a subsidy for individual eateries and bars. In 2008-09 the overall net cost incurred by the catering and retail directorate in the Department of Facilities was some £6.1 million, in accordance with the budget approved by the Finance and Services Committee. This represents the difference between income and the cost of the services provided. Food and drink pricing is agreed by the Finance and Services Committee, with advice from the Administration Committee.
	With the exception of the Terrace cafeteria and the Debate self-service restaurant, no information is kept on the level of usage of each outlet by different types of pass holders. An annual survey is conducted in the Terrace cafeteria and the Debate self-service restaurant in order to assess the customer profile over a peak-lunch period. The last survey was held in May 2009, when usage of these outlets was as follows:
	
		
			  Customer group  Terrace cafeteria  The Debate 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			  (a) MPs 90 10 107 8 
			  (b) Visitors (accompanied guests) 52 6 98 7 
			  (c) MPs Staff 146 16 580 43 
			  (d) Staff of both Houses/Security/other full pass-holders 499 56 401 30 
			  (e) Member House of Lord 21 2 9 1 
			  (f) Members Staff (House of Lords) 16 2 45 3 
			  (g) Press  Media 21 2 5  
			  (h) Other 50 6 104 8 
			 Total 895 100 1,349 100

Asylum

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of  (a) asylum applications and  (b) applications for leave to remain were successful in each of the last five years; what percentage of applications of each type which were refused were then granted following an appeal in each of those years; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: Data on the number of applications for asylum and leave to remain and applications refused are available in the Home Office statistical bulletin Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom, 2008. This publication and future publications may be obtained from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html

Crime: Nature Conservation

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding has been provided to each police authority to tackle wildlife crime in each year since 1997.

Alan Campbell: Total revenue provision for policing grants in 2009-10 is almost £9.5 billion, an overall increase of 2.8 per cent. over 2008-09. The main element is general formula grant (£8.3 billion), which can be spent entirely at the discretion of police authoritiesso the amount they spend on tackling wildlife crime is their decision.
	Chief constables and police authorities have maximum flexibility to make best possible use of resources to maintain the historically high number of police officers and have the right workforce balance they need to deliver local priorities.
	The Home Office takes wildlife crime seriously and has contributed £150,000 in 2009-10 towards the costs of the National Wildlife Crime Unit, which provides expert support to forces in investigation and enforcement of wildlife crime.

Departmental Fraud

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many employees of his Department have been convicted of an offence related to fraud in each of the last 10 years.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 27 October 2009
	We are aware of 13 members of staff within Home Office HQ, the UK Border Agency, the Identity and Passport Service and the Criminal Records Bureau, who have been convicted of an offence relating to financial fraud in the last 10 years.
	A breakdown by year is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2000 0 
			 2001 (1) 
			 2002 (1) 
			 2003 (1) 
			 2004 (1) 
			 2005 (1) 
			 2006 (1) 
			 2007 (1) 
			 2008 (1) 
			 2009 (to 22 October) (1) 
			 (1) Less than five. 
		
	
	Where less than five members of staff were convicted in a calendar year further information has been withheld on confidentiality grounds.

Departmental Information and Communications Technology

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what IT systems have been in development for use within his Department in the last five years; what the reason for the development of each system was; how much has been spent on the development of each system; and which systems have been subsequently  (a) implemented,  (b) terminated prior to implementation and  (c) terminated following implementation.

Phil Woolas: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  IT Systems in development for use within last five years  Reason for development of IT Systems  How much has been spent on development of IT Systems  IT Systems that have been implemented  IT Systems terminated prior to implementation  IT Systems terminated pos t  implementation 
			 National identity SchemeIPS element Delivery of the Next Generation Passport and ID Services £4.945 billion planned total spend ( including IT Systems, IT enabled Business Transformation and operating costs.) Till 2013. Programme is on Schedule, with implementation phases from end 2009 to 2013. n/a n/a 
			 EPA2 project Upgrade online passport application process in 2006 £10.8 million capital and £1.9 million resource  Terminated prior to implementation 6 May 2007. n/a 
			 Interview Office Network IT Systems to support interview of first time passport applicants £13.2 million Planned Total Core IT system called ABIOS. Network Infrastructure to 68 ION offices, integration to existing Passport Processing system n/a n/a 
			 Digitisation of Vital Events Digitisation of General Register Office registration records £8.33 million total project cost Digitisation of approx 50 per cent. of registration records. Project now closed and a new project is being set-up to complete the digitisation work and to deliver an integrated technology suite. Records digitised in the DoVE project are currently being used by GRO for the production of certificates. n/a n/a 
			 Registration On-Line General Register Office System for recording birth, death, civil partnership and marriage registrationsused by GRO and Local Authorities. £17.6 million planned capital and set-up costs (projected through to 2011) The RON system has been rolled-out to all local authorities in England and Wales for civil partnerships, births and deaths. The marriage roll-out will commence in November 2009. n/a n/a 
			 Identity Cards for Foreign Nationals Infrastructure required to implement identity cards for foreign nationals, building on existing systems wherever possible £13.2 millionPlanned total ongoing scheme November 2008 n/a n/a 
			   
			 Immigration Casework (ICW) Enable improvements to processing of immigration casework: specifically Improved efficiency Improve quality and consistency of decisions Improve the service provided Implement more flexible IT systems Programme Spend to date: £55 million. The first pilot releases went live on 31 March 2009 and 3 August 2009 (as planned) further releases (three per annum) are planned until 2014-15 n/a n/a 
			   Agreed Programme Spend by end of 2015-16: £370 million.
			   
			 Points Based System (PBS) PBS is a simplified one-stop migration process for those who wish to work, train or study in the UK. Prospective migrants are judged using objective criteria to ensure consistency. £39.8 millionPlanned total to 2010 July 2009, next release is due October 2009. Final release scheduled for February 2010 n/a n/a 
			   
			 e-Borders E-Borders enables the UK Border Agency to check people before they reach the UK.. The planned cost to Government is £1.2 billion between financial years 2007-08 and 2017-18 Project IRIS, a pilot biometric automated barrier entry system for pre-registered passengers at selected ports in the UK was piloted from 20 June 2005 to May 2006. IRIS was transferred to operational business in July 2007. n/a n/a 
			  E-Borders protects the public, improving the security, efficiency and effectiveness of border controls by enabling us to target criminals and illegal immigrants  Project Semaphore, an operational prototype for the main e-Borders Programme which was transferred to operational business in April 2008.   
			The Joint Border Operations Centre (JBOC) went live in January 2005, as the operational hub of Project Semaphore. Responsibility for the operation of the JBOC was transferred to Intelligence and National Operations Command on 1 June 2008, but remains closely aligned to the UKs e-Borders programme. It continues to inform the design and development of e-Borders and to deliver operational benefits to stakeholders.   
			   
			 SBS Programme SBS built on the original ERP implementation programme to further enhance both the functionality and breadth of the Finance, HR and Procurement services in the Home Office for 23,000 users. £35.9 million total project cost till 2011 Expanded and enhanced enterprise resource planning (ERP) functionality, implemented in progressive releases between May 2008 and April 2009. n/a n/a 
			   
			 Vetting and Barring Scheme Modifications to the IT systems of the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) to support the vetting and barring scheme, established by the safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006. New casework management systems. £22.8 million capital and set up costs planned over five years £20.3 million operational costs over five years. April 2009 n/a n/a 
			   £15.1 million expenditure to March 2009. Implementation is current and ongoing for these systems
			   
			 Next Generation IST Transformation Programme (NGISTT) To assist the Home Office Group to deliver its objectives by giving businesses the shared 1ST infrastructure and services they need to work together in the most productive and cost effective way and to safeguard their information assets. Spend to date is £3.12 million.  n/a n/a 
			   Planned investment (Extend and Blend) is £86 million. Future programme spend is yet to be determined.

Departmental Telephone Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consider the merits of securing accreditation of his Departments helplines to the Helplines Associations quality standard; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The Home Office Department has already rationalised many of its helplines and are moving to ensure that call costs to its helplines are free or are kept to a minimum. The Department seeks to align its telephony services to the guidance and rules set out by Ofcom, the communications regulator which answers to Parliament but is independent of Government. Ofcom is tasked with making sure that people in the UK get the best from their communications services and has a general duty to further the interests of citizens and of consumers.
	We also work closely with the Central Office of Information (COI) which is the Governments centre of excellence for marketing and communications to ensure our telephone services are in line with industry standards and are aligned to the quality and service standards of other Government Departments.
	We will continue to seek ways to improve our telephony services and will consider the merits of the Helpline Associations standards as well as other associations or bodies to ensure we strive to deliver a communications service (including telephony) that meets the public need.

Driving Under Influence: Cycling

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were  (a) arrested,  (b) charged and  (c) convicted of being under the influence of alcohol or drugs while in charge of a bicycle in each police authority area in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: Information showing the number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for the offences Pedal cyclist driving under the influence of drink or drugs under section 30 of the 1988 Road Traffic Act and Being drunk in charge of a carriage (a bicycle is a carriage within the meaning of this Act), horse, cattle or steam engine under section 12 of the 1872 Licensing Act, in England and Wales from 2003 to 2007 (latest available) can be viewed in the following tables. Data for 2008 are planned for publication at the end of January 2010.
	The information requested on arrests is not collected centrally. The arrests collection held by the Home Office covers arrests for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only, broken down at a main offence group level, covering categories such as violence against the person and robbery. The alcohol related offences presented in the table are not notifiable offences and do not form part of the arrests collection.
	The Ministry of Justice do not centrally collect charging data; proceeded against information has been provided in lieu.
	
		
			  Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts under the offences Pedal cyclist driving under the influence of drink or drugs( 1)  (section 30 of the 1988 Road Traffic Act) and Being drunk while in charge on any highway or other public place of any carriage( 2) , horse, cattle or steam Engine (section 12 of the 1872 Licensing Act), in England  and  Wales, broken down by force( 3) , 2003 to 2007( 4, 5) 
			Pedal cyclist driving under the influence of drink or drugs( 1) 
			Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			   Force  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 13713 Avon and Somerset 1 2 3 3  1 2 3 3  
			  Bedfordshire  2     2    
			  Cambridgeshire     1     1 
			  City of London 1   1  1   1  
			  Cleveland    1     1  
			  Cumbria 1 1 2 1  1 1 2 1  
			  Derbyshire 1 2 1 1 2 1 2 1  1 
			  Devon and Cornwall 2   1 1 2   1 1 
			  Dorset 1 1 1 1  1 1 1 1  
			  Durham 1  1 2  1  1 1  
			  Essex  2 1 3   2  3  
			  Greater Manchester 7 2 1  2 6 2 1  1 
			  Hampshire 4 3 2 3 1 3 2 2 2 1 
			  Hertfordshire 1 2 8 1 1 1 2 8 1 1 
			  Humberside 3  1 1 2 1  1 1 2 
			  Kent 2   2  1   2  
			  Lancashire  2 1 1 1  2 1 1  
			  Leicestershire 1  1   1  1   
			  Lincolnshire    1 2    1 1 
			  Merseyside  2 1 2 4  2 1 2 4 
			  Metropolitan Police 4 4 3 5 2 4 3 1 4 2 
			  Norfolk  1 1 1    1 1  
			  North Yorkshire  1     1    
			  Northumbria 7 6 7 6 4 6 4 5 5 4 
			  Nottinghamshire   1     1   
			  South Yorkshire 1    1     1 
			  Staffordshire    2     2  
			  Suffolk 2 1   2 2 1   1 
			  Surrey 2     1     
			  Sussex 1 1 2 2  1 1 2 2  
			  Thames Valley 1  1  1 1  1   
			  Warwickshire    2     2  
			  West Mercia 1 3 2 3 3 1 3 2 3 3 
			  West Midlands 1 1 3 2 7 1 1 3 1 5 
			  West Yorkshire  1 1 1 1  1  1  
			  Wiltshire 1   1     1  
			  Dyfed-Powys  3 3 3 1  3 3 2 1 
			  Gwent 1  3   1  2   
			  North Wales 3   2  3     
			  South Wales 4 2   1 1 2   1 
			  England and Wales 55 45 51 55 40 43 40 44 46 31 
		
	
	
		
			Being drunk while in charge on any highway or other public place of any carriage( 2) , horse, cattle or steam engine 
			Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			   Force  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 14102 Avon and Somerset 1 2 1  1  2 1   
			  Bedfordshire 1  1 1  1  1 1  
			  Cambridgeshire  1  2   1  2  
			  Cheshire    4     4  
			  City of London    1     1  
			  Cleveland   1     1   
			  Cumbria 1 4 4 1  1 4 4 1  
			  Derbyshire    4 1    2 1 
			  Durham 1  4 2  1  4 2  
			  Essex  2 2 1 1  1 2 1 1 
			  Gloucestershire    1       
			  Greater Manchester 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 1 
			  Hampshire 6 1  1 1 3 1  1 1 
			  Hertfordshire  2  1 1  1  1 1 
			  Kent 1  1  1 1  1  1 
			  Lancashire 2 2 2 2 1 1 1  2  
			  Leicestershire  1 1    1 1   
			  Lincolnshire   1 1    1   
			  Merseyside 1 3 3 4 1 1 3 2 2 1 
			  Metropolitan Police 8 5 15 8 8 6 4 15 6 4 
			  Norfolk    2 1    2 1 
			  North Yorkshire  6 2 3 2  5 2 3 2 
			  Northamptonshire  1         
			  Northumbria 5 16 14 14 12 5 14 13 13 10 
			  Nottinghamshire   2 1    2   
			  South Yorkshire     2     2 
			  Staffordshire 1 1 1 1  1     
			  Suffolk     1     1 
			  Surrey 1   1  1   1  
			  Sussex     1     1 
			  Thames Valley 1 1  1  1 1    
			  Warwickshire  1     1    
			  West Mercia 2 3 4 2 2 2 2 4 1 2 
			  West Midlands 4 6 4 1 2 3 6 4 1 1 
			  West Yorkshire 2 1  4  2   1  
			  Wiltshire 2 2 1 1  2 2 1 1  
			  Dyfed-Powys  1         
			  North Wales 2     1     
			  England and Wales 43 64 65 67 40 34 51 60 51 31 
			  = Nil. (1) The number of persons proceeded against and found guilty for driving under the influence of drinks or drugs cannot be separately identified under this statute. (2) A bicycle, whether ridden or pushed, is a carriage within the meaning of this Act. The number of persons proceeded against or found guilty of being drunk in charge of a carriage cannot be separated from those involving a horse, cattle or steam engine. (3) Nil data applies if a Police Force Area is not listed in the above tables. (4) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (5) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Evidence and Analysis UnitOffice for Criminal Justice ReformRef: IOS 510-09

Drugs: Smuggling

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been  (a) cautioned,  (b) prosecuted and  (c) convicted of offences relating to the unlawful importation or exportation of drugs in each of the last 10 years; and how many of those convicted received the maximum available sentence.

Claire Ward: I have been asked to reply.
	The number of offenders issued with a caution and the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences relating to the unlawful importation or exportation of drugs in England and Wales, from 1998 to 2007 (latest available) is given in tables 1 and 2 respectively.
	The number of defendants given the maximum available custodial sentence for offences relating to import or export of a controlled drug in England and Wales, from 1998 to 2007, is given in table 3.
	Court proceedings data for 2008 are planned for publication at the end of January 2010.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of offenders cautioned( 1)  for offences relating to the unlawful importation or exportation of controlled drugs, England and Wales, 1998 to 2007( 2, 3) 
			  Statute/offence description  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Customs and Excise Management Act 1979: Offence in relation to the unlawful importation of a drug controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 29 16 5 3 1 6 9 15 10 11 
			 Customs and Excise Management Act 1979: Offence in relation to  the unlawful exportation of a drug controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 5 8 11 1 6 6 8 4 24 6 
			 (1) From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (2) The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time, the principal offence is the more serious offence. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform: Evidence and Analysis Unit. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences relating to the unlawful importation or exportation of controlled drugs, England and Wales, 1998 to 2007( 1, 2, 3, 4) 
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002 
			  Statute/offence description  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			 Customs and Excise Management Act 1979: Offence in relation to the unlawful importation of a drug controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 1,300 1,190 1,280 1,171 1,201 1,165 1,752 1,648 1,624 1,599 
			 Customs and Excise Management Act 1979: Offence in relation to the unlawful exportation of a drug controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 112 59 74 25 51 40 22 30 30 21 
		
	
	
		
			   200 3  2004  200 5  2006  200 7 
			  Statute/offence description  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			 Customs and Excise Management Act 1979: Offence in relation to the unlawful importation of a drug controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 1,081 1,063 945 975 1,057 1,026 874 835 818 783 
			 Customs and Excise Management Act 1979: Offence in relation to the unlawful exportation of a drug controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 28 18 18 37 25 35 30 35 38 36 
			 (1) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table. (4) Where the found guilty column exceeds the proceeded against column it may be the case that a defendant was found guilty at the Crown court in the year following the year in which proceedings took place, or the defendant was found guilty for a different offence to that proceeded against.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform: Evidence and Analysis unit. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Defendants given maximum available custodial sentence for offences relating to import or export of controlled drug( 1) , 1998 to 2007 
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Import(2) 1      1    
			 Export(3)           
			 (1) Customs and Excise Management Act 1979. Offences in relation to the unlawful importation/exportation of a drug controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. (2) Maximum available sentence for import of class A or other class is life imprisonment, for class B and C it is 14 years. (3) Maximum available sentence for export of class A or other class is life imprisonment, for class B and C it is 14 years.  Note: These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source: OMS Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice.

Entry Clearances

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reasons are for the time taken by the UK Border Agency to process applications by European nationals for permanent residence.

Phil Woolas: The length of time taken by UK Border Agency to determine applications submitted by European nationals for permanent residence is subject to a number of factorsboth internal and external to the Agency. Internally UK Border Agency has had to refocus resource and this has impacted on the Agency's ability to deal with applications as quickly as we would wish. Externally, the number of incomplete applications received has led to delays in the caseworking process.
	On both counts, we have introduced a number of measures in the past six months to improve performance. The Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006 stipulate this documentation should be issued as soon as possible after an application and proof of entitlement have been submitted. If an application is not submitted with adequate supporting evidence then delays are necessarily incurred as that information is obtained.

Entry Clearances

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many civil and unmarried partners of UK residents who are from outside the European Economic Area have been admitted to the UK in each of the last five years.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 26 October 2009
	The available information is provided in the following table.
	Statistics on passengers given leave to enter the United Kingdom by purpose of journey are published in table 1.2 of the Home Office publication Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 2008 which is available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html
	
		
			  Passengers( 1, 2)  entering the United Kingdom as civil and unmarried partners, 2004-08, United Kingdom 
			  Number of journeys 
			   2004( 3)  2005  2006  2007( 4)  2008( 5) 
			 Total civil partners(6) n/a n/a 105 1,890 1,955 
			  Of which:  
			 Proposed civil partner n/a n/a 5 * 5 
			 Civil partner admitted for a probationary period n/a n/a 100 1,890 1,930 
			 Civil partner given indefinite leave to enter n/a n/a   20 
			   
			 Total unmarried partners(7) 90 115 290 190 335 
			  Of which:  
			 Common law spouse admitted for a probationary period(8) 45 55 110 110 295 
			 Same sex partner admitted for probationary period(9) 50 55 185 80 40 
			 n/a = Not applicable. (1) Figures rounded to the nearest 5 ( = 0, * = 1 or 2). Figures may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding. (2) Excludes EEA and Swiss nationals. (3) Includes nationals of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia before 1 May 2004, but excludes them from this date. (4) Excludes Bulgaria and Romania. (5) Provisional figures. (6) The Civil Partnership Act 2004 came into force on 5 December 2005. (7) In table 2.1 of Control of Immigration Statistics United Kingdom 2008 the figure for civil and unmarried partners and proposed civil partners for 2006 excludes unmarried partners. This will be corrected in table 1 of Control of Immigration Statistics Summary, United Kingdom July to September 2009, scheduled for publication on 26 November 2009. (8) Includes common-law spouse of a diplomat admitted for a probationary period. (9) Includes same sex partner of a diplomat admitted for a probationary period.  Source: Migration Statistics, Home Office.

Entry Clearances: Russia

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the efficiency of the system for visa applications in operation in Moscow.

Phil Woolas: During June and July it took 15 working days to process short-term visa applications (for stays of up to 12 months), and 28 days to process student visa applications (under Tier 4 of the Points Based System). The relevant agreed global targets are:
	Straightforward, non-settlement applications: 90 per cent. to be processed in five working days, and 98 per cent. in 15.
	Non-straightforward non-settlement applications (includes those under PBS): 90 per cent. to be processed in 15 working days, 98 per cent. in 30.
	The extended processing times were publicised at the time via the Russian Commercial Partners website, and through the Moscow UK Border Agency User Panel, with visa applicants encouraged to apply in good time in advance of proposed travel dates.
	In order to ensure that students were able to travel to commence their courses on time, a dedicated team of ECOs was set up to deal with student applications. Other visa applications were also prioritised, where appropriate, and applications in the following categories generally processed within the global target of five working days i.e. applications from (a) previous travellers, (b) the four Regional Visa Application Centres outside Moscow (acknowledging the longer transit time), and (c) business people enrolled in a local Trusted Partner scheme. All backlogs were cleared by the end of September.
	A full staffing complement of five ECMs and 14 ECOs is now in place.

Forensic Science Service

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of any likely cost savings arising from the proposed closure of Forensic Science Service sites.

Alan Campbell: The primary goal of the FSS transformation is to build a more robust and resilient business that is both profitable and fully able to respond to the changing needs of our customers. The FSS has produced a business case which will deliver significant savings in the future years. The figure is commercially sensitive and dependent upon the success of the FSS in competing for and retaining customer's business.

Overseas Students: Entry Clearances

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of applications from  (a) Chinese,  (b) Indian,  (c) Pakistani,  (d) Bangladeshi and  (e) US nationals for a student visa were rejected between July and September 2009.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 19 October 2009
	The percentage of applications from  (a) Chinese,  (b) Indian,  (c) Pakistani,  (d) Bangladeshi and  (e) US nationals for a student visa that were refused between July and September 2009 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  PBS Tier 4 - Student visa applications 1 July 2009 to 30 September 2009 
			  Nationality  Refusal rate ( percentage) 
			 Bangladesh 10 
			 China 7 
			 India 17 
			 Pakistan 30 
			 United States 7 
			  Note: This data is unpublished and should be treated as provisional  Source:  Central Reference System

Police Cautions

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many offenders have received a police caution in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many offenders received  (a) one,  (b) two,  (c) three and  (d) four or more police cautions between 1997 and 2009;
	(3)  how many offenders received  (a) one,  (b) two,  (c) three and  (d) four or more police cautions in each year since 1997.

Claire Ward: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is shown in the following tables. Data prior to 2000 has not been included.
	Table 1 shows the number of people cautioned on at least one occasion in each calendar year from 2000, and provides a breakdown of this total by the number of times each person was cautioned in the year.
	
		
			  Table 1: Numbers of people cautioned by calendar year 
			Number of people cautioned on: 
			   Total number of people cautioned at least once in year  Only one occasion in year  Two occasions in year  Three occasions in year  Four or more occasions in year 
			 2000 238,746 210,490 21,842 3,934 2,480 
			 2001 237,337 210,012 21,140 3,891 2,294 
			 2002 239,325 213,191 20,733 3,444 1,957 
			 2003 253,884 226,407 21,904 3,610 1,963 
			 2004 260,797 230,100 24,251 4,141 2,305 
			 2005 302,845 265,660 29,335 5,149 2,701 
			 2006 346,486 301,443 35,369 6,252 3,422 
			 2007 360,749 312,192 38,280 6,824 3,453 
			 2008 329,199 285,687 34,785 5,714 3,013 
		
	
	Table 2 shows the number of people that have been cautioned on at least one occasion at any time between 2000 and 2008, and the breakdown of this total by the number of times each person has been cautioned over this time period.
	
		
			  Table 2: Numbers of people cautioned between 2000-08 
			  Caution occasions  Number of people with cautions between 2000-08 
			 One 1,639,891 
			 Two 397,458 
			 Three 104,915 
			 Four or more 51,874 
			 Total 2,194,138 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from the polices administrative IT system, the police national computer (PNC), which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.

Police: Complaints

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints of excessive use of force by police there were in  (a) England,  (b) the North East,  (c) the Tees Valley and  (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: The Home Office does not collect this information.
	The Police Reform Act, 2002 places a duty on all police forces to record all complaints made by members of the public about the conduct of those serving with the police. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is responsible for the collation and publication of complaints statistics for England and Wales. It has done so since it was established in 2004.
	Excessive force is not a category used in the collation and publication of the IPCCs statistics. It is a matter for each force to retain such information.

Police: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made towards delivering the policing pledge in Tamworth.

David Hanson: It is for individual police forces and authorities to ensure delivery of the Policing Pledge in their area. The Government will hold forces to account for progress through the single top-down target we have set them to improve public confidence that crime and antisocial behaviour are being tackled locally, and in the light of inspection work by Her Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC).
	In October, HMIC published a report on the progress of all forces in delivering the pledge. Although information is not available specifically for Tamworth, the report graded Staffordshire police as fair. HMIC identified that the force regularly keep the public informed about action taken to address local concerns and that they were dealing well with non-emergency calls. It also identified that more could be done to ensure a quicker response to public dissatisfaction and calls to neighbourhood teams. We now look to all forces and police authorities to respond quickly to HMICs findings and deliver the pledge consistently for their community.

Radicalism

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what policy his Department has adopted to prevent  (a) violent extremism,  (b) extremism claimed to be perpetrated in the name of Islam,  (c) extremism perpetrated in the name of neo-nazi and fascist causes and  (d) extremism claimed by others; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: holding answer 15 October 2009
	 The Government, the police and other agencies assess the threat from various forms of extremism on a regular basis. Government take all threats to the security of our communities very seriously and are undertaking a wide variety of programmes to address and reduce the threat.
	Local threat assessments are not published publicly but are produced so that local partners including local authorities and police forces are able to make decisions and allocate resources according to local situations.
	The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) assess the threat to the UK from international terrorism and that is currently assessed to be at substantial, meaning that the threat of a terrorist attack remains a strong possibility and may occur without warning.

Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been  (a) cautioned,  (b) prosecuted and  (c) convicted of offences under section 53 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000; and how many of those convicted received the maximum sentence.

Claire Ward: I have been asked to reply.
	The encryption provisions of the 2000 Regulations of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) came into force on 1 October 2007. Up to the end of 2007 (latest available) there have been no persons reported to the Ministry of Justice as being cautioned, prosecuted or convicted under section 53 of the Act in England and Wales. Some information is available in the Chief Surveillance Commissioners report for 2008-09 which shows there were two s53 convictions for failing to disclose the key to protected information.
	The Government are satisfied that offences set in RIPA are appropriate and that the legislation is being used effectively.

Sexual Offences: Police Cautions

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have received cautions for offences under section  (a) 1 and  (b) 5 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in each police force area in each of the last five years.

Claire Ward: I have been asked to reply.
	Information showing the number of offenders cautioned for offences under section 1 and 5 of the 2003 Sexual Offences Act in England and Wales, broken down by Police Force Area, from 1 May 2004 (the date the 2003 Sexual offences Act came into force) to 2007 (latest available) can be viewed in the following table.
	Data for 2008 are planned for publication at the end of January 2010.
	
		
			  Number of offenders cautioned( 1)  for offences under Sections 1 and 5 of the 2003 Sexual Offences Act, England and Wales, broken down by force( 2) , 2004( 3)  to 2007( 4,5) 
			  Force  2004( 3)  2005  2006  2007 
			  Section 1 
			 Cambridgeshire 2    
			 Cleveland    1 
			 Essex 3    
			 Greater Manchester 1    
			 Hampshire  1 1 3 
			 Hertfordshire   1  
			 Humberside   1  
			 Lancashire 1    
			 Lincolnshire 1 1   
			 Metropolitan Police 4  1  
			 Norfolk 1    
			 Northamptonshire  1   
			 Northumbria    1 
			 Nottinghamshire 2  1 2 
			 South Yorkshire 1  1  
			 Staffordshire   1 1 
			 Suffolk 2 1   
			 Surrey 2 1   
			 Sussex   2  
			 Warwickshire    1 
			 West Mercia   1  
			 West Yorkshire  1   
			 England and Wales 20 6 10 9 
			  
			  Section 5 
			 Bedfordshire   1  
			 Cambridgeshire    3 
			 Cleveland   1  
			 Gloucestershire  3 1  
			 Greater Manchester 2 1   
			 Hampshire   1  
			 Hertfordshire   2  
			 Humberside  1 1  
			 Kent    4 
			 Lincolnshire 2 2  2 
			 Merseyside    1 
			 Metropolitan Police 2 4  1 
			 Northumbria    1 
			 Nottinghamshire   3 2 
			 South Yorkshire   1 5 
			 Staffordshire    2 
			 Suffolk  1  1 
			 Surrey 3    
			 Thames Valley 1    
			 Warwickshire   1 2 
			 West Midlands 1 4  1 
			 Dyfed-Powys   1  
			 Gwent   1  
			 England and Wales 11 16 14 25 
			 (1) From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (2) A force not listed in the table means nil data. (3) The Sexual Offences Act 2003 came into force on 1 May 2004data in the table start from that date. (4) The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence. (5) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Evidence and Analysis UnitOffice for Criminal Justice Reform

Government Departments: Official Hospitality

David Taylor: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will amend the list of hospitality received by board members of Government departments from 1 January to 31 December 2007 to include hospitality provided by the Chairman of the Audit Commission to the  (a) Director General of the Department for Communities and Local Government on 18 August 2007,  (b) Director General of the Financial and Commercial Group at the Home Department on 11 May 2007 and  (c) Permanent Secretary to the Department Communities and Local Government on 8 October 2007.

Tessa Jowell: Guidance to Departments on the recording of hospitality is set out in the Government's response to the Public Administration Select Committee's Report Lobbying: Access and Influence in Whitehall which can be accessed at:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmpubadm/1045/1045.pdf

Jobseeker's Allowance

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many under 25 year olds in Teignbridge constituency claimed jobseekers allowance in  (a) 1997,  (b) 2007,  (c) 2008 and  (d) 2009.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson, dated November 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many under 25 year olds in Teignbridge constituency claimed jobseekers allowance in 1997, 2007, 2008 and 2009. (297658)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles the number of claimants of Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) from the Jobcentre Plus administrative system. Table 1 shows the number of persons under 25 years old, resident in the Teignbridge constituency, who were claiming Jobseekers Allowance in September 2009, the latest period available, and the same month in 2008 ,2007 and 1997.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at: http://www.nomisweb.co.uk.

Guyana: Rain Forests

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding his Department has provided to Guyana for rainforest preservation in each of the last three years; what estimate he has made of the acreage of rainforest protected as a result of such funding; and what agreements he has reached with the government of Guyana on such funding in the next five years.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) has committed to spend approximately £130,000 in the current financial year ending 31 March 2010 to support the implementation of a low carbon growth and rainforest protection strategy in Guyana. In 2008-09, we provided £313,000 towards the development of the prospectus and implementation plan for this strategy. The strategy aims to protect Guyanas 15 million hectares of rainforest. No funds were provided to Guyana for rainforest protection in either of the two previous years. No agreements have yet been reached on funding for rainforest protection in the next five years.
	Guyana is also a participant in the World Banks Forest Carbon Partnership Fund (to which the UK has contributed £15 million) and recently submitted its Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation Readiness Plan. DFID officials regularly discuss forest protection with their Guyanese counterparts.

Sri Lanka: International Assistance

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on the role of the International Organisation for Migration in the distribution of humanitarian aid in Sri Lanka.

Michael Foster: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs is kept regularly informed of the Department for International Developments (DFID) funding allocations and the work of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Sri Lanka.

Will Write

Mark Oaten: To ask the Leader of the House with reference to the written ministerial statement of 21 July 2004,  Official Report, column 35WS, on I Will Write replies, whether the arrangements for publication in Hansard of I Will Write letters remain in force; and whether they apply to letters written by chief executives of Government agencies and non-departmental public bodies providing information in response to parliamentary questions.

Barbara Keeley: On those occasions where an I will write answer is necessary, a copy of the subsequent substantive response will be sent to  Hansard, to be printed with the written answers in the next edition.
	The guidance on letters written by chief executives of Government agencies and non-departmental public bodies, in response to parliamentary questions, is outlined in the recently published 'Guide to Parliamentary Work:'
	'Letters written by chief executives of Government agencies and non-departmental public bodies, in response to parliamentary questions, should be sent to the  Official Report for printing, unless it contains personal or confidential information. If the letter is longer than the  Official Report would normally publish notification will be printed that the response is available in the Library of the House.'
	The hon. Member can view the full 'Guide to Parliamentary Work' through the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/parliamentary-clerk-guide.aspx

Natural Gas: Storage

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 12 October 2009,  Official Report, column 483W, on natural gas: storage, what the minimum amount of gas in storage over the winter is required under the safety monitor system.

David Kidney: holding answer 20 October 2009
	In the Winter Outlook Report 2009-10 National Grids preliminary assessment of storage requirements for Safety Monitors this winter is 100 million cubic metres (mcm) of storage space and 60 mcm/d of storage deliverability. National Grid may revise this assessment during the course of the winter if appropriate.

Radioactive Waste: Waste Disposal

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which companies based in  (a) France,  (b) Sweden,  (c) the United States and  (d) the UK have made applications under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 for authorisation to dispose of low level nuclear waste in the UK; on what date each application was made; and what the status of each such application is.

David Kidney: Applications made under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 for authorisation to dispose of low level nuclear waste in the UK are listed in the following table by company and site. This list represents the most recent applications by these companies.
	
		
			  Application date  Company and premises  Status 
			 November 2003 British Energy, Torness Power Station, (Now British Energy Generation Ltd, part of EDF Energy) (1) 
			 November 2003 British Energy, Hunterston B Power Station, (Now British Energy Generation Ltd, part of EDF Energy) (1) 
			 October 2006 Babcock Engineering Services, Rosyth Dockyard (1) 
			 November 2007 and June 2009 Magnox North Ltd, Chapelcross Works (2) 
			 April 2008 Dounreay Site Restoration Limited, Dounreay (2) 
			 May 2009 Waste Recycling Ltd, Lillyhall Landfill Site Cumbria (2) 
			 July 2009 Auguean South Ltd, East Northants Resource Management facility, Kings Cliffe, Northamptonshire (2) 
			 (1) Determined and granted. (2) Being determined.

EU Budget

James Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what he expects the net UK contribution to the EU budget to be in  (a) 2009 and  (b) 2013.

Ian Pearson: The Governments latest forecast of UK net contributions to the European Community budget for 2009-10 is £4.1 billion, which is 0.6 per cent. of total managed expenditure. In line with all other public expenditure estimates, the Treasury does not currently publish forecasts beyond 2010-11.

Capital Projects

Clive Betts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the effect on the economy of bringing forward expenditure on capital projects.

Liam Byrne: The Chancellor forecast in this years Budget that the country will return to growth at the turn of the year as a result of measures taken by this Government including the fiscal stimulus package. These additional investments are already supporting a number of industries and employing people across the country. An update on the economic position will be given in the pre-Budget report.

National Debt

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the UKs national debt is.

Ian Pearson: Public sector net debt at the end of the 2008-09 financial year stood at 43.2 per cent. of GDP, excluding financial sector interventions.

Public Expenditure

Andrew George: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the accuracy of records of  (a) tax take and  (b) public expenditure held at (i) local authority and (ii) regional level.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Treasury does not publish a breakdown of total taxes by region and local authority and does not produce a breakdown of total public spending by local authority. However, it publishes a breakdown of total identifiable public spending by region in Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/pesa09_chapter9.pdf
	The Treasury continuously looks to improve the quality of this data and data improvements in recent years are described in each annual publication of Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses.

Taxation: Gaming Machines

Don Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many requests for meetings on his Departments consultation on the taxation of gaming machines his Department has received in the last 12 months; and how many such requests have resulted in a meeting with Ministers.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Treasury Ministers and officials meet with a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the usual policy making process. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Governments practice to provide details of all such discussions.

Taxation: Gaming Machines

Don Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when his Department plans to publish its response to its recent consultation on the taxation of gaming machines.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: HM Treasurys formal consultation on the taxation of gaming machines was launched on 16 July 2009 and concluded on 23 October 2009.
	In line with the Governments code of practice on consultation, the responses will be analysed carefully and, in due course, feedback will be provided to participants.

Taxation: Ministers of Religion

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to HM Revenue and Customs tax manual advice EIM60007, ministers of religion: exemption of income: overview; what Freedom of Information Act 2000 exemptions apply to the text that has been withheld from publication.

Stephen Timms: The part of the guidance that has been withheld is for use by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) staff that require advice on this matter and contains a internal hyperlink that takes them to the person who can help. The withheld text states:
	If a claim to benefit from the special rules is pressed but you are doubtful whether the claimant can be regarded as a minister, consult PAYE Technical.
	The published guidance incorrectly states that this has been withheld on freedom of information grounds, rather than for internal use. HMRC will update this guidance to correct this error and place the withheld guidance, minus the hyperlink, into the public domain.

Valuation Office: Geographical Information Systems

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will commission a privacy impact assessment in respect of the Valuation Office Agency's Geographical Information System.

Ian Pearson: The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) provides guidance on the use of PIAs. The ICO envisages PIAs only being used where a project is of such a wide scope, or will use personal information of such a nature, that there would be genuine risks to the privacy of the individual. PIAs will usually be recommended where a change of the law would be required, new and intrusive technology is being used, or where private or sensitive information which was originally collected for a limited purpose is going to be re-used in a new and unexpected way.
	I am advised that the Valuation Office Agencys geographical information system project does not pose a risk to the privacy of an individual.

Offensive Weapons

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans his Department has to introduce mandatory sentences for carrying a knife in a public place.

Jack Straw: We have no plans to introduce mandatory sentences for carrying a knife in a public place. Mandatory sentences are only considered in truly exceptional circumstances. They can have serious drawbacks in some circumstances; because of their inflexibility they cannot easily respond to the circumstances of each offence so they can lead to unjust outcomes. But we have doubled the maximum sentence for possession of an offensive weapon in a public place from two to four years, which allows the courts to impose higher penalties in appropriate cases. We also welcomed last summers new sentencing guidelines that provide for a starting point of three months custody for possession of a knife. Since then, sentencing has become more severe for this offence: more people are going to prison, and for longer.
	We will shortly be making an announcement on the outcome of the review as to whether the starting point for adults convicted of murder using a knife currently 15 years under schedule 21 of Criminal Justice Act 2003 should be raised.

Prisoners Release: Terrorism

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what measures are in place to ensure adequate supervision of offenders convicted under anti-terrorism legislation who have subsequently been released under supervision;
	(2)  if he will use actuarial risk assessment methods to score the risk of reoffending of each person convicted under anti-terrorism legislation which has subsequently been released under supervision;
	(3)  what resources have been allocated to the Probation Service to supervise persons convicted under anti-terrorist legislation and subsequently released into the community under supervision;
	(4)  whether persons convicted under anti-terrorism legislation who are subsequently released into the community are allocated to tier 4 of his Departments Offender Management Model; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: All terrorist offenders fall to be managed in the community under the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA). MAPPA are a statutory set of arrangements, in which the police, prison and probation services are required to assess and manage the risk posed by offenders posing a high risk of harm. The MAPPA Guidance, issued by the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to Section 325(8) of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, now includes a chapter on the management of terrorist offenders. Under that statutory guidance, chief officers of probation are required to ensure that cases involving terrorist offenders are allocated to an experienced offender manager.
	In addition, offenders released having served a sentence of 12 months or more will be subject to statutory supervision on licence by the probation service, with six standard conditions. Additional licence conditions can be recommended by the offender manager to manage the risks posed by a particular case. Such additional licence conditions can include restrictions on internet use and contact with named individuals.
	Where appropriate, terrorist offenders will be supervised on release in approved premises. Approved premises provide for enhanced level of supervision for high risk of harm offenders on release from custody into the community.
	Probation staff are required to assess offenders risk of reoffending and risk of harm, including offenders convicted of terrorist or terrorism-related offences, using OASys (Offender Assessment System). One element of OASys is an actuarial risk of reoffending score. The predictors of the likelihood of proven reoffending relate to groups within the overall offender population. Given the comparatively low numbers of terrorist offenders, it is difficult to identify with statistical significance and reliability factors associated with terrorist reoffending. Therefore, along with the OASys assessment, offender managers need to use all available sources of evidence to assess the risk of serious harm or reconviction which terrorist offenders pose. All high risk offenders are allocated to Tier 4 of the Offender Management model.
	The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) spends significant sums of money in delivering its responsibilities of protecting the public and reducing reoffending. In addition to the on-going costs involved in managing terrorist offenders on licence, NOMS is taking forward a multi-disciplinary programme of work funded by the Office of Security and Counter Terrorism (OSCT). This year OSCT has provided £5.5 million to the programme and this includes money specifically to support probation areas. In addition, those cases assessed as presenting the highest levels of imminent risk of harm, including those convicted of terrorism or terrorism related offences, can be registered as Critical Public Protection Cases (CPPC). CPPC registration enables the responsible authority, normally the probation service, to apply for additional funding to strengthen local risk management plans.

Prisoners Release: Young Offender Institutions

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what percentage of young adults released from young offender institutions went to  (a) housing provided by family members,  (b) housing provided by local authorities,  (c) housing provided by charities,  (d) an unknown address and  (e) another destination in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what proportion of young adults released from young offender institutions were provided with accommodation by his Department in the last five years for which figures are available;
	(3)  how many young adults left  (a) Reading Young Offender Institution and  (b) all young offender institutions without (i) employment or (ii) accommodation in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: Data on the provider of housing for offenders on discharge from prison is not recorded in the form specified in the questions. However data is held on the type of accommodation to which offenders are discharged.
	The following table shows the proportion of young adults discharged from prison establishments in 2007 and 2008 by type of accommodation. Data for previous years are not available.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   2007  2008 
			 Permanent independent housing 83 84 
			 Supported housing 2 2 
			 Bail/Probation hostel 3 3 
			 Transient/short-term accommodation 5 3 
			 No fixed abode 4 3 
			 No information 3 4 
		
	
	The following tables show the numbers of young adults discharged without any accommodation or employment from  (a) Reading YOI and  (b) all prison establishments in 2007 and 2008. Data for previous years are not available.
	
		
			  Reading discharges 
			   2007  2008 
			 Without accommodation Less than 10 Less than 10 
			 Without employment 20 Less than 10 
			 Total discharges 330 300 
		
	
	
		
			  All young adults 
			   2007  2008 
			 Without accommodation 610 520 
			 Without employment 3,400 3,900 
			 Total discharges 16,100 16,800 
		
	
	Numbers below 1,000 have been rounded to the nearest 10. Numbers over 1,000 have been rounded to the nearest 100.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Reoffenders

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people on home detention curfew reoffended between 1999 and 2009;
	(2)  how many people released under an early release scheme reoffended in  (a) 2006,  (b) 2007 and  (c) 2008.

Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice records the number of alleged offences while on early custody licence (ECL) and has recently released figures of offenders who reoffended while on home detention curfew (HDC).
	Data on ECL releases, recalls and alleged reoffending is published every month on the following website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/endofcustodylicence.htm
	During the period 29 June 2007 (the start of the scheme) to 30 September 2009 (the latest data available), 1,058 offenders have been notified to the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) as alleged to have committed a further offence while on the scheme. Table 1 gives the further breakdown by period.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of offenders alleged to have committed a further offence while on ECL by period 
			   29 June to 31 December 2007  1 January to 31 December 2008  1 January to 30 September 2009 
			 Total ECL releases 16,197 31,318 22,362 
			 Offenders alleged to have committed the further offences while on ECL(1) 215 497 346 
			 (1) The number of offenders notified to NOMS as having allegedly reoffended during their period on ECL. 
		
	
	The latest figures on reoffending while on home detention curfew were released by this Department in a written ministerial statement on 14 September 2009,  Official Report, columns 142-44WS Table 2 gives the number of offenders who have been convicted for an offence while on HDC between 2003-04 and 2007-08.
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of offenders who have been convicted for an offence while on HDC ,  2003-04 to 2007-08, England and Wales 
			   Offenders on HDC  Offenders who reoffended while on HDC 
			 2003-04 20,802 1,244 
			 2004-05 18,587 839 
			 2005-06 15,443 688 
			 2006-07 12,626 484 
			 2007-08 11,316 486 
		
	
	Data prior to 2003-04 is not available. This statement is available from the Library of the House.
	The Ministry of Justice will be consulting on the publication of data in respect of offenders who reoffend while on licence in due course.

Theft: Sentencing

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the  (a) maximum and  (b) minimum sentence is for the offence of the theft of a purse.

Jack Straw: The maximum penalty for theft is seven years imprisonment. There is no minimum penalty.

Young Offenders: Education

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what educational assessments are carried out on each young offender entering each young offender institution, with particular reference to Reading Young Offender Institution.

Maria Eagle: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC), who commissions learning delivered in pubic sector prisons in England, requires its providers to assess an individual's basic skills level, particularly in numeracy, language and literacy, if assessment has not already taken place. The outcomes of the assessments are used to place offenders in appropriate learning.
	Reading prison and young offender institution undertakes this assessment as part of the induction programme for young offenders which also includes screening for dyslexia. In addition an individual diagnostic assessment is undertaken by tutors for offenders joining classes to improve literacy and/or numeracy in order to determine the individual's current level so that learning can be further tailored to individual requirements.

Young Offenders: Self-Harm

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many young offenders in custody  (a) committed suicide and  (b) self-harmed in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) collects data on self-inflicted deaths and self-harm for young offenders who are held in prison custody, and not for those held in secure training centres (STCs) and secure childrens homes (SCHs). These establishments are the responsibility of the Youth Justice Board and local authorities respectively. Numbers of prisoner suicides and incidents of self-harm are collated from the NOMS incident reporting system in prisons.
	Tables 1 and 2 give the numbers of self-inflicted deaths and self-harming individuals respectively involving young offenders in prison custody for the years 2004 to 2008. The term Young Offenders covers young people aged 15 to 17 and young adults aged 18 to 21.
	
		
			  Table 1: Recorded numbers of self-inflicted deaths of young offenders, 2004 to 2008 
			  Age group  2004  2005  2006  2001  2008 
			 Young people 15 to 17 years  2  1  
			 Young adults 18 to 21 years 6 10 2 6 5 
			 Total 6 12 2 7 5 
		
	
	NOMS definition of self-inflicted deaths is broader than the legal definition of suicide and includes all deaths where it appears that a prisoner has acted specifically to take their own life. This inclusive approach is used in part because inquest verdicts are often not available for some years after a death (some 20 per cent. of these deaths will not receive a suicide or open verdict at inquest). Annual numbers may change slightly from time to time as inquest verdicts and other information become available.
	
		
			  Table 2: Recorded numbers of young offenders who have self-harmed for 2004 to 2008 
			  Age group  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Young people 15 to 17 years 317 434 381 344 430 
			 Young adults 18 to 21 years 970 1,053 1,124 1,140 1,194 
			  Note:  These are approximate numbers of individuals, based on incidents of self-harm where the prisoner number was recorded. Recorded self-harm is a high volume incident. The data are drawn from the prison administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. Nevertheless, the system provides a sensible indication of the numbers of incidents and individuals who self-harm but the numbers should not be treated as absolute. 
		
	
	Every death in prison is a tragedy, and affects families, staff and other prisoners deeply. Ministers, the Ministry of Justice and the National Offender Management Service are committed to learning from each death and to reducing the number of such incidents. Good care and support from staff save many lives, but such instances go largely unreported. Prisons successfully keep safe in any given month approximately 1,500 prisoners assessed to be at particular risk of suicide or self harm. Deaths in prisons are among the most scrutinised of all incidents and each case is subject to a police investigation and independent investigation by the prisons probation ombudsman. Robust systems are in place for monitoring deaths and learning from them.
	All prisoners identified as at risk of suicide or self-harm, including young offenders, are cared for using the assessment, care in custody and teamwork (ACCT) procedures. This is a prisoner-focussed care planning system for those at risk. Most self harm is not directly life threatening, but nevertheless can be extremely distressing for those who have to deal with it. There are no easy answers to managing self harming behaviour but we remain committed to finding ways to reduce it.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Greater London

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the additional specialties required to provide the range of services to be offered at the proposed major trauma centre of St Mary's, Paddington; which of these specialties are available at the Royal Free Hospital; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of likely changes to the provision of accident and emergency services at  (a) Barnet Hospital,  (b) the Royal Free Hospital and  (c) Northwick Park Hospital following the entry into operation of the proposed new major trauma centres; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the likely change in the services to be provided at  (a) the Royal Free Hospital and  (b) Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals following the entry into operation of the proposed hyperacute stroke units in London; and if he will make a statement.
	(4)  what additional specialties are required to be established at the sites of each of the proposed major trauma centres in London; by what date such specialties will have been provided at each proposed site; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  what date he has set for implementation of the proposed  (a) hyperacute stroke centres and  (b) major trauma centres in London; and if he will make a statement;
	(6)  what progress has been made on the implementation of the plan for  (a) hyperacute stroke units and  (b) major trauma units; what steps the London Ambulance Service has taken to amend its provision of services in advance of the implementation of such units; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: This is a matter for NHS London and I have passed the question to the chief executive with a request to write to the hon. Member.

Blood: Contamination

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what date he plans to implement those recommendations in the Archer Report on contaminated blood and blood products which the Government has accepted.

Gillian Merron: The Governments response to Lord Archers report was published on 20 May 2009. Implementation to date of the Governments response to the report is as follows:
	Recommendation 1 (A committee to advise the Government on the management of haemophilia)the first meeting with the Haemophilia Alliance will be held on 20 November 2009. Representatives from the Health Departments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and a member from the independent advisory committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO) have been invited to attend.
	Recommendations 2 and 3 (Haemophilia patients, their partners, and all blood donors to receive any tests recommended by the committee)no specific implementation date required as any new relevant tests will be considered by the Alliance or SaBTO as and when they arise.
	Recommendation 4 (Free prescriptions and free access to other services not freely available under the national health service including...general practitioner visits, counselling, physiotherapy, home nursing and support services for those infected)Professor Ian Gilmores review of prescription charges in England for those with long term conditions, is due to report shortly. The Government will consider whether further action is required in England to implement Lord Archers recommendation following the Gilmore review.
	Recommendation 5 (Secure future of Haemophilia Society by adequate funding)the Government have committed £100,000 per annum funding to the Haemophilia Society for the next five years. The Department has discussed this with the Haemophilia Society on a number of occasions and is currently awaiting a written proposal from the Society to enable the funds to be released.
	Recommendation 6 (Financial assistance should be increased and take the form of prescribed periodic payments)funding to the Macfarlane and Eileen Trusts (for HIV) is being increased in line with the Government response. Some administrative and legal changes have been needed to enable the trusts to make these new payments, but it is anticipated that beneficiaries should receive their new payments in December 2009 with any back-payments being made before the end of March 2010. All payments will be back-dated to 20 May 2009 and payments will be made to the estates of any individual who has died since 20 May 2009. As indicated in the Government response, the Skipton Fund (for hepatitis C) will be reviewed in 2014.
	Recommendation 7 (Access to insurance by providing premiums or setting up separate scheme)no implementation date required as the Governments position is as outlined in its response.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress the NHS is making on the provision of breast screening for women in Hendon constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not held centrally. It is for local national health service organisations to plan, develop and improve services for local people.
	Nationally, breast screening is provided every three years for all women in England aged 50 and over. Currently, women aged between 50 to 70 years are invited routinely and women over the age of 70 can request free three-yearly screening.
	In September 2007, the Department announced proposals to extend the age range of women eligible for routine breast screening to women between the ages of 47 and 73 years by 2012. As a result, around 400,000 more women will be screened each year.
	The Cancer Reform Strategy, published in 2007 (a copy of which has already been placed in the Library), is supporting the roll out of digital mammography for breast screening, an x-ray examination of the breasts, which can show breast cancers at an early stage. For the roll out approximately £120 million has been allocated to NHS trusts as part of the wider capital funding. They must ensure that all breast screening units have at least one full-field digital mammography set by 2010.

Cancer

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to increase awareness of  (a) the symptoms of various forms of cancer and  (b) the practice of regular self-examination for such symptoms.

Ann Keen: Through the National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative, we are raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer among healthcare professionals and the general public, and encouraging those people with symptoms that may be cancer to seek advice as early as possible. This work includes developing key messages on a number of cancers, carrying out a baseline national cancer symptom awareness survey, commissioning an audit of cancer diagnoses in primary care, and providing funding for a number of cancer awareness campaigns.
	As part of the Initiative, almost £5 million has been allocated to the national health service to support cancer networks and primary care trusts in implementing local services that will improve awareness of cancers and promote early diagnosis.
	We do not promote the practice of routine self-examination for cancer symptoms as people's bodies, particularly women's, can feel different at different times. However, it is important that people are aware of their bodies and what is normal for them, and that they report any changes as early and as soon as possible. We have collaborated with Cancer Research UK to produce a breast awareness leaflet, Be Breast Aware, and a testicular cancer leaflet, Detecting Testicular Cancer Spot the symptoms early.

Dental Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether the new draft dental access contract was discussed with  (a) representative bodies and  (b) dental stakeholders before it was passed by his Department to primary care trusts;
	(2)  what timetable his Department has set for piloting the new draft dental access contract; and what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of those pilots.

Ann Keen: The Department's Dental Access Programme has been working with the national health service to increase patient access to NHS dentistry. As part of this it has been developing a contract template, based on the existing personal dental services (PDS) regulations to help primary care trusts (PCTs) to tender for new dental services in their area. The template, which is designed to be adaptable to local needs, includes a number of optional schedules for PCTs to choose what is best for their local circumstances. It is not a new contract: all of it is within the current PDS regulations. Its use is optional for PCTs, many of whom are developing their own contracts, using the existing flexibilities within the regulations.
	The template, which is still being finalised, is intended to set out more clearly existing requirements, which might, at present, be in a number of documents, and to focus more clearly on quality of dental services, as well as volumes of activity. To ensure this is transparent and helpful we have been discussing the template with a wide range of interested parties including PCTs, the British Dental Association (BDA), and dental services providers, as well as Professor Jimmy Steele and his Independent Review team.
	A series of detailed meetings has taken place with the BDAwho have been engaged from the outset of the Dental Access Programme with presentations at the national provider workshops and attendance at regional strategic health authority/PCT workshops.
	Two national workshops for potential providers were held, in Manchester and London on 27 and 28 April 2009 respectively, to discuss the Department's plans for the development of the PDS Agreement and to take feedback from providers. The national workshops were followed by more focused meetings with a broad range of providers to discuss developments on the contract. Over 40 meetings have so far taken place.

Dental Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has issued to primary care trusts on the use of the new draft dental access contract as a basis for contractual discussions with prospective practitioners in  (a) existing and  (b) new practices.

Ann Keen: The contract template developed for the Dental Access Programme is intended to be available to primary care trusts (PCTs) to use for new procurements of new national health service dental services, if they wish. Comprehensive guidance, including several user guides (covering the contract provisions, insurance, pensions, premises etc.), will be provided for commissioning PCTs when the template is finalised. In addition, a series of workshops will be held regionally for strategic health authorities and PCTs, and e-mail/telephone technical support will be provided. The full programme of workshops and support available to PCTs will be confirmed when the template has been finalised.
	The Department is also planning regional workshops for interested providers to inform them of the developments made to the Personal Dental Services Agreement and to provide introductory information on procurement processincluding information about how they can bid for new services.

Dental Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what timetable his Department has set for public consultation on the new draft dental access contract;
	(2)  what form the  (a) pilot and  (b) public consultation on the new draft dental access contract will take;
	(3)  in what ways the new draft dental access contract programme takes account of the recommendations made in the report on the Independent Review of NHS Dentistry.

Ann Keen: There is no new dental access contract. The contract template currently being developed by the Dental Access Programme is designed to be adaptable, and includes a number of optional schedules for primary care trusts (PCTs) to consider, based on what is best for their local circumstances. The template is within the current Personal Dental Services (PDS) regulations and Statement of Financial Entitlements. Its use is optional for PCTs, many of whom are developing their own contracts, using the existing flexibilities within the regulations.
	We intend, however, to use some of the contracts that PCTs will let using the new templates, to pilot aspects of improved quality and access, which were set out in the independent Steele Review of national health service dentistry. As part of the development of the contract template, members of the Dental Access Programme have discussed the quality provisions with members of the Steele Review team.
	No formal public consultation on the proposed, optional, PDS contract templates has been undertakennor is required. However, we have had a number of discussions with a wide range of interested parties including dentists, PCTs, and the British Dental Association over the previous six months.

Dental Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date his officials commenced drafting the new draft dental access contract; and on what date this work was completed.

Ann Keen: There is no new dental access contract. As part of its work to increase access to national health service dentistry, the Departments Dental Access Programme has been developing a new contract template, which is designed to be adaptable to local needs, and is within existing Personal Dental Services Regulations.
	Work on the template started in April of this year, and continues as we discuss it with interested parties. Discussions with interested parties have been ongoing since Aprilthe British Dental Association supported the initial national provider workshops in April with presentations. We hope to finalise the template very soon.

Dental Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what dates his officials met external organisations during the preparation of the new draft dental access contract.

Ann Keen: There is no new dental access contract. As part of its work to increase access to national health service dentistry, the Departments Dental Access Programme has been developing a new contract template, which is designed to be adaptable to local needs, and is within existing Personal Dental Services Regulations. The template documents have been discussed with a wide number of organisations and interested parties. Over 40 meetings have so far taken place.

Dental Services

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 26 October 2009,  Official Report, column 101W, on dental services, if he will place in the Library a copy of the notes seen by officials of his Department in relation to the visits by the chief dental officer or his representatives to  (a) maxillofacial and  (b) dental hospitals which were subsequently used in the production of the report by the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board on oral and maxillofacial surgery;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 26 October 2009,  Official Report, column 101W, on dental services, on what date each unit was visited; for what reasons each unit was selected for a visit; who the representatives of the review body were at each visit; what the role of each such representative was during the visit; in what format the data was collected in each case; and in what format the data was passed to the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board secretariat.

Ann Keen: The dates of the visits were Royal Lancaster Infirmary 4 July 2007, Great Western hospital Swindon 25 July 2007, Royal Sussex Brighton 6 November 2007, Sunderland Royal hospital 20 November 2007, Royal London 21 December 2007, Southern General Glasgow 14 January 2008. The units were selected to enable the working group to meet with service providers in departments of differing composition and serving different population needs. The original programme of visits was extended at the suggestion of working group members and contributors, to ensure that the working group saw an appropriate balance of type and size of unit.
	All visits were made by selected members of the working group and secretariat whose names are given on page 3 of the report. There was no formal programme, the intention was to give the staff of the units the opportunity to present to the working group what they saw to be relevant to the review. The terms of the review did not extend to formal reporting on the visits and any notes taken are not in an appropriate format for placing in the Library. The overall findings, as summarised in the report, were that there should be no change to the current statutory requirement for those training in oral maxillofacial surgery to obtain primary qualifications in both medicine and dentistry but that there should be a separate review of the specialty of oral surgery. This review is now underway.

Downs Syndrome

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of provision of healthcare services for those with Downs Syndrome; and what recent research his Department has evaluated on the incidence of Downs Syndrome.

Phil Hope: The Department does not single out any condition when raising awareness around learning disability, although the Department recognises the excellent awareness work carried out by third sector groups, which support people with Downs Syndrome and their families.
	Valuing People Now, published in January 2009 is a strategy that addresses people with learning disabilities having control over their lives and services, including what people do during the day, how they can be supported to access jobs, housing, better healthcare, and making sure that change happens.
	The Department funds the Congenital Anomaly Register for Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire (CAROBB). CAROBB is based at the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, and collects information, including incidence data, on Downs Syndrome and other congenital anomalies. Further details, including CAROBBs first report, can be found at:
	www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/carobb

Health Services: Young Offender Institutions

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent  (a) in total and  (b) per inmate on healthcare for inmates of young offender institutions in 2008-09.

Phil Hope: In 2008-09 healthcare allocations (including targeted mental health in-reach funding) to establishments within the young offender institutions and young person estate totalled £29,108,000.
	Based on an operational capacity of 8,186 for the dedicated young offender institutions and young persons estate as at January 2009, this equates to per place cost of £4,685.

Hospitals: Finance

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the percentage cost was of  (a) surgical and  (b) other treatments in (i) Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals, (ii) the Royal Free Hospital and (iii) Northwick Park Hospital as compared with the benchmark reference cost in each of the last three financial years; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table, which shows the reference cost index (RCI) for these national health service providers for the last three available financial years.
	
		
			  RCIs including excess bed days 2005-06 to 2007-08 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 104 99 96 
			 Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust 97 106 107 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 96 96 103 
			  Notes: 1. The RCI is the standard way of comparing reference costs between NHS organisations, and is a widely recognised measure of relative efficiency. It is not available for surgical and other treatments. 2. The RCI shows the average cost of an NHS organisations aggregate activity, compared with the same activity delivered at the national average cost. By comparing with the national average for each type of treatment, the complexity of care provided is taken into account. An organisation with costs equal to the national average will have an RCI of 100, with higher cost organisations scoring above 100 and lower cost organisations scoring below 100. 3. 2005-06 reference costs were collected on a Healthcare Resource Group (HRG) 3.5 basis. 4. 2006-07 and 2007-08 reference costs were collected on a HRG4 basis. 5. The 2007-08 reference costs are the latest publicly available. 6. Reference costs are collected at trust level, and not hospital level. Northwick Park Hospital is part of North West London Hospitals NHS Trust. 7. A RCI of 125 means that the costs are 25 per cent. above the average while a RCI of 92 shows costs are 8 per cent. below the average. 8. The RCIs are market forces factor (MFF) adjusted. Providers based in some areas of the country, e.g. London and the South East, have higher costs for staff, land and buildings due to external market forces. The MFF is a method for taking this into account.  Source:  Department of Health Payment by Results team.

Hospitals: Finance

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the financial position of  (a) Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust,  (b) the Royal Free Hospital NHS Trust and (iii) Northwick Park Hospital NHS Trust (i) is and (ii) was at the end of the most recent financial year; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: Data collected on a trust level. Northwick Park Hospital is part of North West London Hospitals NHS Trust, and so figures for the latter are shown. The figures are in the following table:
	
		
			  £000 
			  Organisation  2008-09 Annual accounts surplus/(deficit)  2009-10 Quarter 1 Forecast outturn surplus/(deficit) 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospital NHS Trust 155 3,000 
			 North West London Hospital NHS Trust 117 (12,000) 
			 Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust 3,791 471 
		
	
	The Department is working through the strategic health authority to ensure that all the organisations forecasting an operating deficit in 2009-10 are developing recovery plans to return to financial balance whilst still maintaining and improving services to patients.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the incidence of  (a) MRSA and  (b) clostridium difficile was at (i) Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust, (ii) the Royal Free Hospital and (iii) Northwick Park Hospital in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The information is not held in the format requested.
	Data on the incidence of methicillin-resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemia for 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09, and data on the incidence of  Clostridium difficile ( C. difficile) for 2007-08 and 2008-09 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust, Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust and North West London Hospitals NHS Trust are given as follows.
	
		
			  Cases of MRSA bloodstream infections reported under the mandatory surveillance scheme 
			  MRSA bacteraemia  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 62 54 30 
			 Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust 75 31 18 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 51 33 29 
		
	
	
		
			  Cases of C. difficile bloodstream infections in people aged two years and over reported under the mandatory surveillance scheme (trust-apportioned number) 
			  C. difficile  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 173 62 
			 Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust 179 52 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 211 155 
			  Notes: 1. Data are published by acute trust. Northwick Park Hospital is part of North West London Hospitals NHS Trust and information for this trust is included in the tables above. 2. Under the mandatory surveillance scheme, national health service acute trust laboratories report all cases of MRSA bloodstream infections, not just those from in-patients, and include infections acquired in hospital and elsewhere. 3. Under the mandatory surveillance scheme, NHS acute trusts report episodes of  C. difficile infection in people aged two years and over. The scheme was enhanced in April 2007 to include patient-level data for all patients aged two years and over. We are therefore only able to provide data for the last two years. 4. The trust apportioned number refers to infections which are presumed to be hospital acquired.  Source: Health Protection Agency, mandatory surveillance reporting schemes for MRSA and  C. difficile infections.

Hospitals: Reorganisation

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made on the reconfiguration of services between Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: Steps have been taken to implement the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Clinical Strategy, part of which, involves the reconfiguration of services at Barnet and Chase Farm hospitals. Most of the Independent Review Panel's recommendations have been implemented, with implementation of the rest already under way.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his assessment is of the effects of the abolition of waiting time targets on patients awaiting operations at Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust.

Mike O'Brien: As set out in the Operating Framework for the NHS in England 2009-10, the minimum expectation is that 90 per cent. of admitted patients will start consultant led treatment within 18-weeks from the time they are referred by their general practitioner to start of their treatment unless it is clinically appropriate to do so or they choose to wait longer.
	Latest figures for August 2009 show that 94.6 per cent. of patients at Barnet and Chase farm Hospitals NHS Trust whose treatment involved admission to hospital started their treatment within 18-weeks, and 98.5 per cent. of patients at Barnet and Chase farm Hospitals NHS Trust whose treatment did not involve admission to hospital started their treatment within 18-weeks.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the performance was as against waiting time targets for  (a) operations,  (b) accident and emergency,  (c) outpatient services and  (d) cancer services in (i) Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust, (ii) the Royal Free Hospital and (iii) Northwick Park hospital in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: Data is collected at a trust level. The figures for waiting times are in the following tables (inpatient figures are a proxy for operations data):
	The performance waiting time target for inpatients is 100 per cent. within 26-weeks.
	
		
			  Inpatient median waiting timesAugust 2009-10 
			  Organisation  Median waiting time (weeks) 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 5.8 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust(1) 5.6 
			 Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust 5.9 
			 (1 )The information requested is not collected by individual hospitals, it is collected by Trusts. Northwick Park hospital is part of North West London Hospitals NHS Trust, and so figures for the latter are shown.  Source: Monthly monitoring report (MMR)provider based. August 2009-10 
		
	
	
		
			  Outpatient median waiting timesAugust 2009-10 
			  Organisation  Median waiting time (weeks) 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 4.5 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 2.6 
			 Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust 2.9 
			  Source: Monthly monitoring report (MMR)Provider based. August 2009-10 
		
	
	Data on accident and emergency (AE) waiting times is not available in the format requested. The Department has set a national standard that patients should not wait more than four hours in A and E departments from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge. A 98 per cent. minimum operating figure allows for the minority of patients who clinically need more than four hours in A and E.
	Latest data for quarter one 2009-10 shows Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust achieved 98.9 per cent., Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust 98.7 per cent., and North West London Hospitals NHS Trust, which includes Northwick Park hospital, 98.5 per cent. The performance reported is the result of activity corresponding to A and E departments at sites within the trust and additionally activity at mapped type three facilities operated by partner primary care trusts and the independent sector. Data is split by A and E department type but is not available at hospital site level.
	Published performance for the last full year and latest quarter for the three trusts has been:
	
		
			  Percentage of patients who spent less than four hours in A and E (all types) 
			   2008-09  Quarter 1 2009-10 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 98.5 98.9 
			 Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust 98.1 98.7 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 98.2 98.5 
		
	
	For cancer waiting times, the operational standard for the two week waits standard has been set at 93 per cent., allowing patients to exercise patient choice.
	The information is shown in a table which has been placed in the Library.

Maternity Services: Greater London

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) midwives,  (b) doctors below consultant grade and  (c) consultants were employed in maternity services at (i) Barnet Hospital, (ii) Chase Farm Hospital, (iii) the Royal Free Hospital and (iv) Northwick Park Hospital in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: Workforce planning is a matter for local determination as local workforce planners are best placed to assess the health care needs of their local population. The Department continues to ensure the frameworks are in place to enable effective local workforce planning.
	The information requested is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table:
	
		
			  National health service hospital and community health services, medical staff in the obstetrics and gynaecology specialty and qualified maternity services nurses by level within specific NHS trusts as at 30 September each year 
			   2006  2007  2008 
			  Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust
			 All medical and dental staff 47 47 47 
			 
			 Consultant 10 12 15 
			 All other grades 37 35 32 
			 
			 All qualified maternity services nurses 310 322 331 
			 Nurse Consultant 1 1 1 
			 Modern Matron 5 4 7 
			 Manager 3 3 1 
			 Registered nurseChildren 24 18 18 
			 Registered midwife 243 252 266 
			 Other 1st level 30 40 35 
			 Other 2nd level 4 4 3 
			 
			  Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust
			 All medical and dental staff 40 35 39 
			 
			 Consultant 11 9 14 
			 All other grades 29 26 25 
			 
			 All qualified maternity services nurses 132 98 118 
			 Modern Matron 0 0 4 
			 Registered midwife 131 97 113 
			 Other 2nd level 1 1 1 
			 
			  North West London Hospitals NHS Trust
			 All medical and dental staff 46 46 44 
			 
			 Consultant 11 13 12 
			 All other grades 35 33 32 
			 
			 All qualified maternity services nurses 230 229 250 
			 Modern matron 0 0 5 
			 Registered nursechildren 40 41 117 
			 Registered midwife 116 120 117 
			 Other 1st level 68 61 80 
			 Other 2nd level 2 2 6 
			  Notes:  1. Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust includes the following hospitals: Barnet General hospital, Chase Farm hospital, Edgware Community hospital, Finchley Memorial hospital and Potters Bar hospital.  2. Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust includes the following hospitals: Queen Marys hospital, Royal Free hospital, and the Royal Throat, Nose and Ear hospital.  3. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care is aware of the apparent drop in the number of midwives for this organisation in 2007. This is due to the inclusion of bank staff, which dropped to zero in 2007. The number of permanent midwives employed by the trust has remained steady in each year, at 92 in 2006, 97 in 2007 and 95 in 2008.  4. North West London Hospitals NHS Trust includes the following hospitals: Central Middlesex hospital, Northwick Park hospital and St. Marks.  5. Workforce statistics are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data. Processing methods and procedures are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where this happens any impact on figures already published will be assessed but unless this is significant at national level they will not be changed. Where there is impact only at detailed or local level this will be footnoted in relevant analyses.  Source:  The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census, and The Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census.

Neurology: Plastic Surgery

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether  (a) the Royal Free Hospital and  (b) St. Marys, Paddington offers (i) neurosurgery and (ii) plastic surgery services; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested is not held centrally. Primary care trusts are responsible for using their resources to plan, commission and develop services to meet the health needs of their local community.

NHS: Equality

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what further measures his Department is considering to ensure racial equality and tolerance in the NHS.

Phil Hope: The NHS Constitution of 2009 has equality at its heart requiring national health service organisations to provide a comprehensive service, available to all irrespective of gender, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief.
	The newly formed NHS Equality and Diversity Council, chaired by NHS chief executive, will champion equality in the NHS and seek assurances on future progress.
	The Department will build on the work of a number of programmes with a focus on equality. Race for Health is sharing learning about race equality to the NHS, and Delivering Race Equality in Mental Health Care continues to generate system change. Pacesetters actively works with the NHS to innovate, identify and imbed good practice across all the equality strands for both patients and staff.
	In line with the NHS Constitution, the NHS aims to attract, retain and develop the best talent from all sections of the local communities they serve. The Department continues to work with NHS Employers and the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement to promote good workforce practices and improve the career prospects of under represented staff.

Nutrition: Children

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Departments policy is in respect of the regulation of the levels of sugar and salt contained in foods and drinks marketed at children.

Gillian Merron: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is working with the United Kingdom food and drinks industry on a voluntary basis to reformulate foods to reduce the levels of salt and sugar present in a range of foods and drinks, including those aimed at children, focusing on those foods which contribute significantly to intakes of these nutrients.
	The FSA has set salt reduction targets for around 80 categories of food to be met by the food industry by 2010, and further stricter targets for 2012. In July 2009 the FSA issued a public consultation which includes draft recommendations to the food industry to reduce sugar levels and portion sizes of sugar-containing soft drinks.
	The Government have regulated to limit the amounts of salt, fat and sugars served to children over the school day through the statutory school food standards (The Education (Nutritional Standards and Requirements for School Food)(England) Regulations 2007, as amended). The statutory standards provide nutrient standards to be met for 14 nutrients within the food provision. To support this, the FSA developed Target Nutrient Specifications for manufactured products served as part of school lunches. These voluntary specifications cover manufactured products across 40 food categories and provide guidance for the level of salt, total fat, saturated fat, and sugars within each category that if procured would reduce these nutrients in the overall menu provision. These specifications are currently under review.

Palliative Care: Finance

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been allocated to palliative care in  (a) England and  (b) the West Midlands in each of the last 10 years.

Phil Hope: We do not collect information on national health service expenditure on palliative, and/or end of life, care services centrally.
	An additional £286 million revenue and capital funding is being made available over 2009-10 and 2010-11 to support the implementation of the End of Life Care Strategy. For 2010-11, this includes capital funding of £40 million for hospices. However, the majority of the funding is being allocated to primary care trusts (PCTs) through the 2009-10 and 2010-11 revenue allocations, so all PCTs will receive a portion of this funding.
	It is for PCTs to decide their priorities for investment locally, taking into account both local priorities and the NHS operating framework.

Patient Choice Schemes: Greater London

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the average time taken was to answer a call to the appointment booking system at  (a) the Royal Free hospital and  (b) Barnet and Chase Farm hospitals in the latest period for which figures are available; what percentage of calls to each system were not answered in that period; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  for how many rings on average a person seeking to make an appointment via the telephone booking system at  (a) the Royal Free hospital,  (b) Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust and  (c) Northwick Park hospital waited before being connected in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested is not held centrally.

Patients: Attendance

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to reduce levels of non-attendance at appointments at  (a) Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals  (b) Northwick Park Hospital and  (c) the Royal Free Hospital; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: This is a matter for the local trusts. In 2008 the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement created a tool to be used by hospitals to examine the causes for patient non-attendance and provides guidance on what hospitals can do to reduce the level of did not attends.

Patients: Attendance

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of patients did not attend for  (a) operations and  (b) out-patient appointments at (i) Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals, (ii) the Royal Free Hospital and (iii) Northwick Park Hospital in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: Information on the number of patients failing to attend operations is not held centrally. Information on the number of patients who failed to attend out-patient appointments is collected by hospital trust and included in the following tables.
	
		
			  Count and percentage of appointments( 1)  where the patient did not attend( 2)  in 2007-08 and 2008-09( 3)  (provisional full year) 
			  Provider code  Hospital provider  Total appointments( 1)  Total did not attend( 2)  Percentage 
			  2008-09( 3)  provisional data (full year) 
			 RVL Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Trust 621,356 54,962 8.8 
			 RV8 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 401,267 53,565 13.3 
			 RAL Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust 782,314 83,048 10.6 
			  
			  2007-08 final data 
			 RVL Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Trust(4) 250,198 31,187 12.5 
			 RV8 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 371,375 49,873 13.4 
			 RAL Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust 698,289 73,249 10.5 
			 (1) Appointment count: This provides a count of the number of planned/booked appointments for out-patients. The database is constructed of one row per appointment that was made, whether it was attended or not. (2) Attendance type: Attendance type identifies if the patient attended an appointment, and if it was first or subsequent attendance, or if the appointment was cancelled or the patient did not attend. This field is complete for over 99 per cent. of appointments. In this case, attendance types included in the count of total not attending, were: Fourdid not attend first appointment Fivedid not attend subsequent appointment Sixdid not attend, first/subsequent/tele unknown 24did not attend first tele consultation (2008-09 only) 25Did not attend subsequent tele consultation (2008-09 only) (3) Provisional data: The data is provisional and may be incomplete or contain errors for which no adjustments have yet been made. Counts produced from provisional data are likely to be lower than those generated for the same period in the final dataset. This shortfall will be most pronounced in the final month of the latest period, i.e. November from the (month nine) April to November extract. It is also probable that clinical data are not complete, which may in particular affect the last two months of any given period. There may also be a variety of errors due to coding inconsistencies that have not yet been investigated and corrected. (4) Data Quality note: In 2007-08 there was a shortfall in the data submitted by Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust between August and December 2007. For this reason, the total appointment count and total did not attend count would have actually been significantly larger in this year and so caution must be taken before drawing any conclusions on this trust.  Note: Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES); Out-patients, The NHS Information Centre for health and social care

School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will extend his Departments free fruit and vegetable scheme to junior school children; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: There are no plans to extend the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme to junior school children.

Afghanistan: Reconstruction

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance the Government is giving to the government of Afghanistan on negotiating trans-national contracts for the supply of raw materials.

Ivan Lewis: The UK does not provide specific assistance to the government of Afghanistan on the negotiation of trans-national contracts for the supply of raw materials. The World Bank is the main provider of such assistance in Kabul. The UK does however continue to work with the government of Afghanistan on wider cross-border trade issues, including by supporting fora such as the Regional Economic Cooperation Conference.

Afghanistan: UK Trade and Investment

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the establishment of a UK Trade and Investment representation in Afghanistan.

Ivan Lewis: Building up the basics of the licit private sector economy is vital before we can expect substantial UK investment in Afghanistan, therefore there have not yet been substantive discussions at ministerial level on this issue. At present, UK Trade and Investment has no presence in Afghanistan and does not proactively support UK companies in this market. However, UK officials liaise periodically with our embassy in Kabul and lobbying on behalf of British companies may be carried out on a case-by-case basis by the embassy.
	The UKs economic development efforts in Afghanistan are focussed on stimulating economic growth and job creation through private sector and agricultural development, as well as building the capacity of the economic ministries. The UK (through the Department for International Development) contributes £30 million to Harakat, an investment facility working to encourage private sector investment. The Department for International Development is also investing in the Supporting Employment and Enterprise Development programme, which will create a fund to help Afghan businesses develop innovative ideas, fund skills development, as well as supporting the Microfmance Investment and Support Facility for Afghanistan (MISFA) which has extended micro-credit and savings facilities to over 440,000 Afghans.

Brazil

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aims and objectives he has set for UK foreign policy in respect of Brazil.

Chris Bryant: Brazil is an emerging global power: economically and politically. The Government's overriding objective is to be Brazil's partner of choice as Brazil takes its proper place as a global player: in foreign, security and development spheres.
	In particular, it is the Government's aim to assist Brazil in using its upcoming elected term on the UN Security Council from January 2010 in a way which will bolster its claim to a permanent member of the Security Council as part of a reformed UN. The UK also seeks a greater role for Brazil in the weapons of mass destruction and disarmament agenda. As a long-standing declared non-nuclear power, Brazil is important in persuading Iran to co-operate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The UK would also like Brazil to sign the Additional Protocol of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, to make full inspections of nuclear facilities the international norm.
	The UK continues to work closely with Brazil in the security sphere. In particular, the UK is keen to help Brazil capitalise on its experience in leading the UN Mission to Haiti (MINUSTAH) so as to increase its capacity to play a greater role in security operations in conflict zones elsewhere, including Africa.
	The UK has also been working closely with Brazil to help make the case for reform of the international architecture to meet modern demands: not least the World Bank, G20, the UN and International Monetary Fund. It is our hope that Brazil use its influence within others, such as the G77 and Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), to persuade other countries of the case.
	On Climate Change, the UK works closely with Brazil on climate changeas a country with a relatively clean energy matrix and with a strong commitment to address deforestation. The UK sees Brazil as a key partner in helping to achieve a deal in Copenhagen.
	The UK also seeks a more active role for Brazil in development, particularly in Africa with which Brazil has traditional links and where Brazil's techniques on social protection are helpful.
	The UK is looking to develop a stronger bilateral trade and commercial relationship with Brazil, including increased trade and investment which maximises opportunities for both countries. On multilateral trade, Brazil and the UK share the view that a Doha Development deal should be both market opening and pro-development. Both countries have a shared vision about the role that trade can and should play in enhancing opportunities for economic development.
	Rio de Janeiro has recently been successful in its bid to host the 2016 Olympics. As London will be the host for the 2012 Olympics, this is an excellent opportunity for Brazil and UK to work closely together to maximise all the opportunities across a wide range of policy areas and a broad spectrum of mutual interests.

British Overseas Territories: Gross Domestic Product

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the gross domestic product per capita was for the UK Overseas Territories in the Caribbean in each of the last five years.

Chris Bryant: The accuracy of gross domestic product (GDP) per head calculations in the Overseas Territories varies, and data are not always available for every year. It is not unusual for estimates to be revised after they have been published. This is compounded by the variable populations of the Overseas Territoriesa small change in population can have a bigger effect on GDP per capita.
	GDP statistics are available on the following territory websites:
	Cayman Islands: http://www.gov.ky/
	Anguilla: http://gov.ai/
	Turks and Caicos Islands: http://www.turksandcaicos.tc/government/
	Bermuda: http://www.gov.bm/
	The British Virgin Islands (BVI) and Montserrat have not published these statistics on their Government websites. Their best estimates of GDP per capita for the five years until 2008 are below in current prices:
	
		
			   BVI (US$)  Montserrat (EC$) 
			 2004 31,460 20,203 
			 2005 35,820 20,625 
			 2006 37,970 22,803 
			 2007 40,050 21,725 
			 2008 38,820 22,564

British Overseas Territories: Telecommunications

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures are in place to improve the telecommunications infrastructure in the UK Overseas Territories in the South Atlantic.

Chris Bryant: The Governments of the South Atlantic British Overseas Territories are committed to working to improve their telecommunications services to meet the needs of their communities social and economic needs. For example:
	on the Falkland Islands, a system is being installed to offer internet connectivity to the dispersed population. Also, there are plans to introduce revised legislation, and more effective regulation;
	on St. Helena, a consultant has been engaged to advise on negotiating and granting a new telecommunications licence in 2012. The St. Helena Governments aim is that the new licence will provide for improvements to the existing telecommunications infrastructure;
	and on Tristan da Cunha, possible suppliers are being engaged on the feasibility of a new broadband wifi system to provide internet and telephony.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed Conflict

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to seek to encourage MONUC and the Government of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to ensure that Operation Kimia 2 does not cause harm to civilians in eastern DRC; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The UK continues to support civilian protection as the UN mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (MONUC)'s highest priority under UN Security Council Resolution 1856, and will do so for its new mandate. MONUC forces have performed well in very difficult circumstances. The UK is working closely with the UN to address the security situation in the areas most vulnerable to violence.
	MONUC's response in this area includes deployment of joint civilian-military protection teams, where civilian staff specialising in different areas (human rights, child protection, civilian affairs etc) go out into the field with MONUC military and undertake a range of liaison activities with the local population to better understand their protection needs. MONUC has developed a conditionality policy as a means of withdrawing support from Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) units implicated in serious human rights abuses.
	We also continue to urge DRC government of the need to respect International Humanitarian Law and not force Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to return. IDPs and refugee returns is a key strand of the DRC government Stabilisation and Reconstruction Plan and the Humanitarian Action Plan. We will keep working with the DRC government to implement these plans in coordination with humanitarian partners.

Departmental Rail Travel

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on first class rail travel by its officials in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office spend on first-class travel within the UK was as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  £ 
			 2007-08(1) 10,537.25 
			 2008-09 49,700.00 
			 2009-10(2) 13,225.40 
			 (1) January to March. (2 )Up to September. 
		
	
	The Hogg Robinson Group took over the travel contract in December 2007 and figures prior to this date are not available.
	UK Staff on duty travel are only entitled to first-class rail travel when the journey time is over two hours, all other journeys must be made in standard class.

International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to seek to ensure progress in proceedings relating to Radovan Karadzic in the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

Chris Bryant: The Government welcomed the arrest last year of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic. The UK has provided co-operation to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia to ensure that his trial was able to commence on 26 October. The handling of proceedings against Dr Karadzic's is an independent judicial matter for the court.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support the UK is giving to the Palestinian Authority to improve its policing and security systems; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The UK provides considerable support for security sector reform in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
	Since March 2008, we have been funding a £1.16 million project to provide the Palestinian civilian police with information technology and communications equipment, and to help fund their criminal investigation training.
	We also support the work of the US Security Coordinator General Dayton. This includes advice to the Palestinian Ministry of the Interior, and support to a Senior Leadership Course which trains future leaders of the Palestinian security sector.
	A strong and reformed Palestinian security sector is central to the peace process and the establishment of a successful Palestinian state. The reforms undertaken by the Palestinian Authority have helped improve Israeli and US confidence in the capability of the Palestinian security forces, and delivered economic benefits for ordinary Palestinians. We will continue to work with the Palestinian Authority to build on these successes and further improve the security situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Middle East: USA

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of relations between the United States of America and Middle Eastern countries.

Ivan Lewis: Relations between the US and countries in the middle east are primarily a matter for those concerned.
	We welcome President Obamas speech in Cairo on 4 June and his determination to make progress towards peace in the region. This offers a real opportunity and we continue to work with the US and partners across the region to support progress towards this goal.

Overseas Aid: Domestic Violence

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding his Department has allocated to projects overseas to tackle domestic violence and sexual abuse in each year since 2001.

Chris Bryant: The Department for International Development leads on this issue globally and supports a range of initiatives aimed at tackling violence against women, including domestic violence, through its development assistance programmes. This has included work in Ghana and Sierra Leone supporting the implementation of new legislation on domestic violence; and in Nepal, providing technical assistance to the Prime Minister's Office on the National Campaign to end gender based violence.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has funded one related project on domestic violence overseas in the recent past. This was a three-year community policing project being run in Russia between 2006 and 2009 (at a cost of approximately £300,000) by the Global Opportunities Fund for Human Rights. The aim of the project was to train police officers on prevention of community and domestic violence, working with Justices of the Peace, Non-Governmental Organisations and relevant municipal organisations, to reduce domestic violence.
	The FCO's Human Rights and Democracy Strategic Programme Fund supports projects on equality, including tackling the structural and institutional roots of gender discrimination through effective implementation of international law, but it does not have dedicated funds for tackling domestic violence and sexual abuse overseas.

South America: Conflict Prevention

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 13 July,  Official Report, columns 108-9W, on Colombia: land mines, for what reason the Conflict Prevention Pool no longer funds projects in South America.

Chris Bryant: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's written ministerial statement of 25 March 2009 announced the Government's arrangement for conflict funding in 2009-10. We have increased the resources available for conflict activity in 2009-10; a significant symbol of the importance we attach to these issues. However, we face competing demands and we cannot fund all activity to the same level as in previous years. The funding for Latin America was withdrawn as the limited funds available were allocated to regions where the risk and impact of conflict is greatest, including South Asia and the Middle East. The UK still undertakes significant work in Latin America on issues such as human rights and democracy, climate change and counter-narcotics. We continue to work alongside international partners, including the UN, on conflict issues.

Tibet: Human Rights

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to  (a) (i) monitor and (ii) witness the trial of the Tibetan film-maker Dhondup Wangchen who has been in detention in Tibet since March 2008 and  (b) establish his medical condition.

Chris Bryant: We are aware of Dhondup Wangchens case. We are concerned about his well-being following his continued detention pending a trial, and about the conditions of his detention. His case was raised at the EU/China Human Rights Dialogue in Prague on 14 May 2009, where his name was included on an individual case list. On this the EU side asked for clarification as to the whereabouts and the grounds of his detention, as well as for his release. Most recently, my hon. Friend, Ivan Lewis, Minister of State for the Middle East and the Far East, also raised this case during his trip to Lhasa and Beijing in September, reiterating our concerns for his safety and welfare. The Chinese response was to inform us of the nature of his arrest, that the relevant Chinese authority raised charges against him and that his case was under judicial proceedings. We will continue to raise this case at every appropriate opportunity.

Tibet: Human Rights

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek urgent clarification from the Chinese authorities on the whereabouts of Tibetans, Tenzin Phuntsok, Kangtsuk and Penkyi from Sakya county who each received a death sentence with a two year reprieve in April 2009.

Chris Bryant: We have called on China to review urgently the cases of those who remain under sentence of death for their alleged involvement in last years unrest. The fact that independent observers were not allowed at these trials and that restrictions remain on access to Tibetan areas, means that we have been unable to verify that the human rights of the defendants were respected, or that the trials were free from political interference. This, together with reports we have received from non-governmental organisations, gives us cause for real concern. We have also raised our concerns through the European Union.
	In the statement that I released on 23 October 2009 condemning the recent executions in Lhasa of two Tibetans (Mr. Lobsang Gyaltsen and Mr. Loyak), I made clear that while we respect Chinas right to bring those responsible for the violence in Tibet last year to justice, the UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances, and we have consistently raised our concerns about lack of due process.
	I expressed my deep concern about all the death penalty cases during my visit to Tibet in September and urged the authorities not to carry out the death sentence. We will continue to monitor reports on these and other individual cases, and will request further information about a selection of cases of concern at the next round of the UK/China Human Rights Dialogue.

United Nations Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Aylesbury of 21 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 1516-17, on the UN Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, if he will delay the planned timetable for ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material until the relevant select committees of the House have had an opportunity to scrutinise the implications for United Kingdom nuclear policy of the amendments contained in Cm 7685.

Chris Bryant: The Department for Energy and Climate Change, which holds the Government policy lead on the convention on the physical protection of nuclear material, has confirmed that it has not received a request from a Select Committee to extend the 21 sitting day period, therefore the time period for scrutiny will end on 4 November 2009.

Academies: Sponsorship

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will make it a requirement for organisations in charge of academies to publish annual financial accounts, including details of salaries; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: All academy trusts (which includes charitable trusts running more than one academy) are required to publish annual accounts in accordance with the Companies Act 2006. The Charity Commission has published a Statement of Recommended Practice which clarifies how charities should prepare their accounts in order to reflect these legal requirements. The Statement of Recommended Practice states that charities which are subject to a statutory audit (this includes academy trusts) should include a note in their accounts disclosing the number of employees whose emoluments were £60,000 or above, presented in £10,000 bandings. The Department expects academy trusts to comply with the Statement of Recommended Practice.

Anti-Semitism

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many meetings of the cross-departmental working group on tackling anti-Semitism his Departments official responsible for pupil safety and school responsibility has attended.

Diana Johnson: There have been 10 meetings of the Inter-Departmental Working Group to Tackle Anti-Semitism since June 2007, of which seven have been attended by officials from the Department for Children, Schools and Families. Officials advising on security in maintained schools have not attended but have briefed the secretariat directly or through their colleagues. A security official is expected to attend the next meeting. During the last two years DCSF Ministers have directly discussed concerns about security in Jewish schools on several occasions with, among others, representatives of the Community Security Trust and the Board of Deputies of British Jews. Relevant decisions have taken such concerns into account.

Children: Databases

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families by what date local authorities are expected to have completed shielding arrangements in respect of ContactPoint.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 2 November 2009
	All local authorities confirmed completion of the initial shielding phase of ContactPoint in May. However, the shielding of individual records is an ongoing activity. Additionally, local authorities will carry out regular (six monthly) reviews of shielded records to ensure that the retention of the shield is still appropriate.

Children: Day Care

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much he expects his Department to spend on the Graduate Leader Fund in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The total amount for the Graduate Leader Fund, available over three years between 2008 and 2011, is £305 million. This is made up of £232 million for settings, routed via local authorities, and £73 million for the Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) to deliver Early Years Professional Status training and accreditation. Of the £305 million, the Department allocated £99 million in 2009-10 and currently plans to allocate £129 million in 2010-11. These allocations are included within the wider main revenue block of the Sure Start Early Years and Childcare Grant, which is ring fenced to be spent on supporting the delivery of the Government's Ten Year Strategy for Childcare and the local authority duties set out in the Childcare Act 2006.
	Local authorities have the discretion to decide how much is spent on each area of activity, such as the Graduate Leader Fund, in line with local priorities, providing it contributes to the early years experience of children in their area.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to implement the efficiency recommendations of the Operational Efficiency programme relating to his Department;
	(2)  which Minister in his Department has been assigned responsibility for overseeing the delivery of value for money in his Department; whether his Department has established a public sector reform team to implement service reforms; and what training is available to  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials of his Department in respect of the delivery of value for money savings;
	(3)  what steps his Department is taking to implement the efficiency recommendations of the Operational Efficiency programme relating to his Department; and what training is available to  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department.

Diana Johnson: Responsibility for the Department's value for money (VfM) remit has been assigned to me. This will include oversight of our CSR07 Efficiency programme and the additional Operational Efficiency programme (OEP) efficiencies agreed at Budget 2009. The department has not provided specific training, but she receives regular briefing on progress.
	Both of these programmes are managed by a value for money team who coordinate activity across the department, throughout its NDPBs and within the sectors in which they operate.
	Progress towards targets set for the CSR07 Efficiency programme and the additional Operational Efficiency programme (OEP) will be stated in the 2009 autumn performance report in December 2009.

Departmental Telephone Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will consider the merits of securing accreditation of his Department's helplines to the Helplines Association's quality standard; and if he will make a statement.

Diana Johnson: All of the DCSF telephone help lines on which we hold information centrally were contracted through COI (Central Office of Information).
	All DCSF help lines run through the COI Framework have one or more of the following accreditations: Contact Centre Association (CCA), COPC (Customer Operations Performance Centre) and/or Customer Excellence. It is also mandatory for them to either have or be planning to attain (in the next 12 months) the standards ISO9001 (quality management) and the ISO27001 (information security).
	There are no plans to use the Helpline Association's quality standard.

Education: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 1408-9W, on education: finance, how much of the allocation to Making Good Progress will be spent on the single level tests; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The Department has allocated a total of £5.22 million to the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency during the financial year 2009-10 to develop and administer single level tests (SLTs). This covers funding for SLTs as part of the Making Good Progress pilot, which ran until July 2009, and for the extended SLT pilot, announced in the Departments response to the Expert Group on Assessments report. Funding has not been confirmed yet for the financial year 2010-11.
	In addition the Department is allocating in 2009-10 a participation allowance to schools participating in the extended SLT pilot of £2 per pupil to support participation in evaluation activity. £0.4 million has been allocated in this financial year for the independent evaluation of the MGP pilot (which includes SLTs) and of the extended SLT pilot.

Family Courts: Guardians

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent representations he has received on the adequacy of supply of guardians in the family courts; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department is aware of issues regarding the adequacy of supply of guardians in the family courts, and my officials are working with CAFCASS to address delays in allocating cases to guardians.
	A sharp rise in the number of care applications since December 2008 has put pressure on the family justice system in general, and the supply of guardians in particular. As of 30 September 2009, CAFCASS had a work load of 13,355 public law cases, 979 of which were awaiting allocation to a guardian.
	A number of steps have been taken to reduce the number of unallocated cases. This Department recently provided £1.6 million of additional funding to CAFCASS in this financial year to tackle the backlog in the London area. CAFCASS itself has developed operating priorities to enable guardians to manage their work load as efficiently and effectively as possible. The President of the Family Division has also issued Interim Guidance, to operate until March 2010, which aims to reduce the number of cases without guardians in the family courts.

Free School Meals: Eligibility

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will make it his policy to extend the provision of free school meals to families on working tax credit; and if he will make a statement.

Diana Johnson: We have no plans to extend free school meals to families on working tax credit.
	However, we are currently running a two-year pilot in three local authorities in deprived areas to test different approaches to free school meals. Wolverhampton are extending the free school meal eligibility rules to include pupils whose parents receive working tax credit and have an annual income of up to £16,040. Durham and Newham are piloting free school lunches to all primary pupils. We want to learn the lessons of those pilots before making decisions on any national extension.

GCE A-Level: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what average total point score was achieved by pupils taking A level or equivalent qualifications in each school in Tamworth constituency in each of the last 10 years.

Vernon Coaker: The information can be found in the Achievement and Attainment Tables found in the House of Commons Library and published on the following website:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/performancetables/
	Figures for the 2008/09 academic year are not available until early January 2010.

Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Month

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department has given to support Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Month.

Vernon Coaker: Since its inception in 2008, the Department has contributed £195,000 towards the costs associated with the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller history month in June 2008 and 2009. The funding has been used to stage events around the country to raise awareness, celebrate and explore the history, culture and language of these communities, and to produce materials and resources for use in schools and local authorities. The month gives an opportunity to correct the myths, tackle the prejudice and offer a balanced view of issues facing the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.
	We have also established a Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Education Stakeholder Group, comprising representatives from all three communities. The group, in addition to offering advice, will actively engage in raising awareness and helping to change attitudes and behaviours, as well as supporting our work to improve levels of ascription, attendance, transition and attainment to Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils.

Home Education

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the cost under each budgetary heading of implementing each of the recommendations of the Badman Review of elective home education in England.

Diana Johnson: We estimate, subject to discussion with the Local Government Association, that the overall additional costs for implementing the registration and monitoring elements of the Badman Review recommendations will be £21.65 million in the first year with additional ongoing annual costs of £9.78 million.
	We estimate that an additional support package for home educated children will cost a further £21 million in the first year rising to £22 million in subsequent years. This is based on an estimated cohort of 25,000 home educated children who all seek additional support. We know that this estimate may be too low and we will adjust our funding commitments as Local Authorities get more clarity over the numbers of home educated children and the services they may seek.
	The 28 recommendations are wide ranging but the financial costs fall into the following broad categories:
	
		
			  Estimated cost 
			  £ 
			   First Year  Ongoing 
			 Registration and deregistering from schools 14,000,000 2,500,000 
			 Monitoring 7,000,000 7,000,000 
			 Training 350,000 280,000 
			 Evaluation 300,000 0 
			 Support package 21,000,000 22,000,000 
			 Total 42,650.000 31,780,000

Parents: Training

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many parents have attended a parenting course for separated parents under the provisions of the Children and Adoption Act 2006; and what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of such courses since December 2008.

Dawn Primarolo: As at the end June 2009, from national data collected by CAFCASS, 21 people had attended a Parenting programme under the provisions of the Children and Adoption Act 2006. It is too early to make any assessment of the effectiveness of this programme.

Pre-School Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects all two to five year-olds to have access to the pre-school entitlement of 15 hours per week; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: From September 2010 every three and four year-old will be eligible to receive 15 hours free early learning per week for 38 weeks of the year. Most local authorities are already delivering the new 15 hour offer to their 25 per cent. most disadvantaged children from September 2009.
	We are committed to rolling out a free entitlement to two year-olds, stage by stage. The most disadvantaged two year-olds in every local authority can already access a free place of at least 10 hours a week, 38 weeks per year. The Prime Minister recently announced that we will extend the two year-old places to 250,000 children by end of the next Parliament. This is an increase of over 10-fold. Any future extension to the offer will be considered when practicable.

Pre-School Education: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 8 July 2009,  Official Report, column 892W, on pre-school education: finance, how much of the £363 million unspent by his Department on early years capital programmes in the financial year 2008-09 had been intended for the Quality and Access Early Years Capital Grant.

Dawn Primarolo: Childcare, Quality and Access capital forms part of the main capital block of the Sure Start, Early Years and Childcare Grant (together with funding for children's centres and, in 2008-09, workplace nurseries). The constituent parts of the block are not individually ring-fenced, allowing local authorities the freedom to spend the grant flexibly to best meet their local objectives.
	The Department does not require local authorities to disaggregate their funding until they submit an audited annual financial statement detailing how much they spent on each funding strand. For 2008-09 those statements are not due before the end of October 2009.
	The Department's accounts at year end need to be finalised before the audited returns are due from local authorities. Therefore the under spend for Early Years' capital is estimated based on the amounts claimed in year and the trend in historic spend rates. The Department will be in a position to confirm those estimates and disaggregate expenditure on Childcare, Quality and Access once audited accounts are received.

Primary Education

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of children in primary schools linked to Phase One Sure Start centres achieved the national standard in each of their key stage 1 assessments in the last 12 months.

Dawn Primarolo: We do not collect data on the percentage of children in primary schools linked to phase one Sure Start Childrens Centres who achieved the national standard in each of their key stage 1 assessments, and to collect this information would involve disproportionate cost. The overall Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) results were published in a Statistical First Release on 14 October 2009.

Pupils: Immigrants

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what research his Department has  (a) undertaken,  (b) commissioned and  (c) evaluated on the educational achievement of children of (i) Bangladeshi and (ii) Pakistani origin in the last five years.

Diana Johnson: In the last five years this Department has  (a) undertaken two pieces of internal analysis entitled 2006Ethnicity and Education: The Evidence on Minority Ethnic Pupils aged five16 and 2007Ethnicity and Degree Attainment; and,  (b) commissioned two pieces of research entitled 2004Inclusion and Pupil Achievement and 2009Drivers and Challenges to raising the achievement of pupils from Bangladeshi, Somali and Turkish backgrounds, all of which have included the educational achievement of Bangladeshi and Pakistani children.

Reading: Nottingham

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proposals his Department has to encourage Nottingham City Council to take up the Every Child A Reader scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Diana Johnson: Nottingham city council has been part of the Every Child a Reader programme since 2008-09. Key Stage 1 results for reading are still below the national average of 84 per cent., and now 78 per cent. of children achieve at least level 2. Nottingham city council employs seven Reading Recovery Teachers, with another four being trained this year, and they have a share of the Teacher Leader employed by their consortium of three local authorities.

Schools: Finance

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families in what ways the additional funding allocated to schools for 2009-2012 will be used.

Vernon Coaker: The dedicated schools grant, which provides core funding for schools, increased by an average 3.7 per cent. in 2009-10 and will increase by an average 4.3 per cent. in 2010-11. All schools will get a minimum guaranteed increase of 2.1 per cent. per pupil per year to cover cost pressures such as increases in teachers pay. In addition there is significant headroom in the settlement to pay for ministerial priorities such as more personalised learning to help raise standards and narrow the gaps in achievement, but it is up to schools to decide how best they can use this funding to support childrens outcomes.

Schools: Norwich

Chloe Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what capital funding was allocated to schools in Norwich North constituency in  (a) 1997,  (b) 2007 and  (c) 2008.

Vernon Coaker: School capital funding is allocated on a local authority basis and prioritised locally. Accordingly, central records are not maintained on a constituency basis. Allocations to Norfolk in the financial year 1997-98 are £4.9 million, in 2007-08 £55.9 million, and in 2008-09 £42.3 million.
	The high figure of £55.9 million in 2007-08 includes an allocation of £5.3 million for successful and popular schools, and £9.9 million for basic heed expansion.

Schools: Norwich

Chloe Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average teacher-pupil ratio is for each school in Norwich North constituency.

Vernon Coaker: The following table provides the within school pupil to teacher ratios (PTR) in state funded schools in Norwich, North constituency, January 2009.
	
		
			  Within school pupil:teacher ratios( 1)  in state funded schools. Years: January 2009. Coverage: Norwich, North constituency 
			  LA estab .  number  School name  PTR 
			  Primary   
			 9262146 Sprowston Junior School 23.1 
			 9262147 Sprowston Infant School 20.8 
			 9262160 Hillside Avenue Primary School, Thorpe 23.7 
			 9262161 St. Williams Primary School 24.0 
			 9262247 Firside Junior School 24.8 
			 9262251 Cecil Gowing Infant School 22.6 
			 9262266 Falcon Junior School 19.1 
			 9262267 White Woman Lane Junior School 20.0 
			 9262271 Heather Avenue Infant School 19.6 
			 9262283 Nightingale Infant School 23.8 
			 9262289 Arden Grove Infant and Nursery School 19.3 
			 9262303 George White Junior School 14.8 
			 9262308 Mousehold Infant and Nursery School 20.6 
			 9262312 Angel Road Junior School 20.9 
			 9262320 Angel Road Infant School 30.2 
			 9262361 Kinsale Infant School 24.1 
			 9262362 Kinsale Junior School 19.3 
			 9262364 Lodge Lane Infant School 26.8 
			 9262382 Sparhawk Infant School and Nursery 19.8 
			 9262384 Garrick Green Infant School 28.2 
			 9262395 Ghost Hill Infant and Nursery School 20.0 
			 9262424 Drayton Community Infant School 26.6 
			 9263060 Old Catton CofE VC Junior School 19.1 
			 9263085 Taverham Junior School 20.5 
			 9263152 Drayton CofE Junior School 26.7 
			 9263423 Heartsease Primary School 18.9 
			 9263424 Mile Cross Primary School 19.6 
			 9263425 Catton Grove Primary School 18.0 
			 9263430 Dussindale Primary School 19.4 
			
			  Secondary   
			 9264005 Hellesdon High School 17.9 
			 9264043 Sprowston Community High School 17.8 
			 9264070 Sewell Park College 17.7 
			 9264083 Thorpe St. Andrew School 16.6 
			 9264084 Taverham High School 18.8 
			
			  Special   
			 9267006 Hall School 9.4 
			
			  Academy   
			 9266905 The Open Academy 13.0 
			 (1) The within school PTR is calculated by dividing the total FTE number of pupils on roll in schools by the total FTE number of qualified teachers regularly employed in schools. For statistical purposes only, pupils who do not attend both morning and afternoon at least five days a week are regarded as part-time. Each part-time pupil is treated as 0.5 FTE.  Source: School Census

Special Educational Needs: North West

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding his Department has allocated to special needs provision in  (a) Lancashire and  (b) each county in the North West in each year since 1997.

Diana Johnson: The available information on how much funding has been allocated to special needs provision in each local authority in  (a) Lancashire and  (b) the East of England in each county in the north-west in each year since 1997 is contained within the following table. Data are not available prior to 2000-01.
	
		
			  Budgeted net expenditure on the provision of education for children with special educational needs by local authorities in England since 2000-01 
			  £ 
			  Local authority name  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			  England 2,763,226,000 2,908,380,000 3,038,661,000 3,466,180,000 3,774,757,000 4,120,549,000 4,481,245,000 4,863,604,000 5,094,462,000 5,188,355,000 
			
			  North West GOR 399,633,000 413,714,000 436,147,000 490,648,000 517,610,000 569,474,000 621,745,000 665,716,000 693,192,000 707,805,000 
			 Blackburn and Darwen 13,775,000 13,667,000 14,392,000 16,207,000 17,320,000 19,210,000 20,652,000 23,552,000 17,180,000 17,716,000 
			 Blackpool 10,260,000 10,533,000 9,985,000 12,895,000 12,827,000 13,556,000 14,241,000 15,020,000 16,326,000 16,852,000 
			 Bolton 14,605,000 14,943,000 15,900,000 17,216,000 18,983,000 19,429,000 21,987,000 22,747,000 24,449,000 24,513,000 
			 Bury 9,455,000 9,938,000 11,099,000 12,551,000 13,375,000 15,915,000 16,940,000 17,891,000 20,186,000 21,214,000 
			 Cheshire (Pre-LGR) 31,671,000 33,787,000 36,732,000 43,613,000 47,962,000 58,423,000 65,851,000 69,129,000 74,423,000  
			 Cheshire East          36,936,000 
			 Cheshire West and Chester          38,974,000 
			 Cumbria 22,777,000 23,761,000 29,097,000 28,807,000 29,383,000 29,903,000 32,848,000 35,418,000 35,841,000 34,565,000 
			 Halton 9,276,000 9,500,000 9,753,000 10,931,000 11,073,000 11,452,000 11,664,000 12,178,000 12,063,000 12,572,000 
			 Knowsley 10,137,000 10,802,000 12,973,000 13,548,000 13,715,000 14,292,000 14,481,000 16,088,000 18,773,000 18,304,000 
			 Lancashire 79,766,000 82,826,000 86,666,000 99,347,000 106,320,000 109,113,000 118,120,000 128,721,000 126,573,000 130,680,000 
			 Liverpool 25,981,000 26,125,000 28,671,000 26,140,000 25,510,000 29,166,000 31,394,000 34,413,000 37,037,000 37,451,000 
			
			 Manchester 24,053,000 26,238,000 28,448,000 35,869,000 33,912,000 38,646,000 54,584,000 58,501,000 62,021,000 67,042,000 
			 Oldham 12,723,000 13,335,000 13,056,000 14,871,000 15,819,000 17,680,000 17,486,000 20,261,000 21,989,000 22,190,000 
			 Rochdale 11,384,000 11,841,000 13,400,000 14,687,000 15,671,000 17,076,000 18,455,000 19,294,000 20,667,000 21,557,000 
			
			 Salford 15,807,000 16,268,000 15,763,000 18,548,000 20,283,000 30,012,000 24,211,000 24,178,000 25,167,000 23,803,000 
			 Sefton 15,161,000 14,700,000 15,122,000 16,495,000 17,523,000 18,539,000 20,391,000 20,786,000 20,740,000 20,513,000 
			 St. Helens 8,987,000 9,277,000 9,477,000 11,612,000 12,156,000 12,037,000 13,067,000 13,775,000 14,470,000 14,488,000 
			 Stockport 12,546,000 14,109,000 13,252,000 14,181,000 17,038,000 20,558,000 20,963,000 20,941,000 22,330,000 23,282,000 
			 Tameside 11,394,000 11,734,000 10,584,000 12,381,000 13,271,000 14,151,000 14,978,000 17,793,000 17,125,000 17,637,000 
			 Trafford 10,841,000 11,167,000 12,073,000 14,494,000 15,917,000 17,799,000 18,355,000 19,640,000 21,660,000 23,381,000 
			 Warrington 9,340,000 9,803,000 10,150,000 11,357,000 12,315,000 13,275,000 15,056,000 16,477,000 19,412,000 19,872,000 
			 Wigan 19,757,000 17,858,000 18,177,000 20,046,000 21,306,000 21,391,000 24,929,000 26,272,000 27,419,000 27,703,000 
			 Wirral 19,936,000 21,501,000 21,377,000 24,853,000 25,931,000 27,849,000 31,093,000 32,642,000 37,343,000 36,561,000 
			  Notes:  1. The data are drawn from local authorities Section 52 Budget Statements (Tables 1 and 2) submitted to the DCSF.  2. Includes planned expenditure on the provision for pupils with statements and the provision for non-statemented pupils with SEN, support for inclusion, inter authority recoupment, fees for pupils at independent special schools and abroad, educational psychology service, local authority functions in relation to child protection, therapies and other health related services, parent partnership, guidance and information, the monitoring of SEN provision and inclusion administration, assessment and co-ordination. Also included is the funding delegated to nursery, primary and secondary schools identified as notional SEN and the individual schools budget (ISB) for special schools.  3. The ISB for special schools will include some general education costs for pupils with SEN in addition to those costs specifically for SEN while the figures recorded against notional SEN are only indicative of the amount that might by spent by schools on SEN and, from 2004-05 onwards, notional SEN delegated to nursery schools was reported on section 52 for the first time (nursery schools notional SEN accounts for £7.8 million, £9.5 million, £10.4 million, £11.1 million and £11.7 million of the respective 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 England totals). In 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 local authorities in England also budgeted £499.6 million, £528.5 million, £554.9 million and £552.6 million for SEN transport expenditure but this is not included in the above table as figures are not available prior to 2005-06.  4. From 2009-10 figures no longer include LA functions in relation to child protection which was previously included within SEN section of budget Table 1. It is now included within Children and Young People's Safety section of the table.  5. Cheshire LA ceased to exist and became two new authorities (Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester) as part of the LGR on 1 April 2009.  6. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand pounds and may not sum due to rounding. Cash terms figures as reported by local authorities as at 28 October 2009.

Specialised Diplomas: Finance

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the cost to date has been of the diploma aggregation service; and how much is expected to be spent on the service in each of the next five years.

Vernon Coaker: The Diploma Aggregation Service is designed and managed by the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Authority to enable the aggregation and awarding of diplomas. It became operational in September 2008. The total cost of the service during its initial development phase (April 2006 to 31 August 2008) was £18 million. Since then we have continued to invest in both enhancing and maintaining the service. In the subsequent period to the end of the current financial year (September 2008 to March 2010) the estimated additional cost of investment and maintenance is £6.4 million, with running costs in the following financial year estimated at £2.2 million. Later financial years will be considered as part of the next spending review process.

Specialised Diplomas: Finance

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent steps his Department has taken to increase levels of educational opportunity for children from the most deprived households.

Vernon Coaker: Increasing levels of educational opportunity for disadvantaged children is a top priority for this Government. This is reflected in one of the Governments public service agreements which commits us to:
	narrowing achievement gaps at the Early Years Foundation Stage;
	narrowing the achievement gap between pupils eligible for free school meals and their peers at key stages 2 and 4;
	narrowing gaps in the proportion of pupils progressing by two levels in English and mathematics at the end of key stages 2, 3 and 4;
	increasing the numbers of Looked After Children reaching Level 4 in English at key stage 2 and reaching Level 4 in mathematics at key stage 2;
	increasing the numbers of Looked After Children achieving five or more good GCSEs at key stage 4; and
	narrowing the gap between full-time higher education initial participation rates for young people aged 18-20 from the top three and the bottom four socio-economic classes.
	As part of our programme of work to deliver this PSA, we have introduced a range of initiatives designed to increase the level of educational opportunities for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, from their early years right though to early adulthood. For example, from this September we are extending free early learning opportunities to the most disadvantaged two year-olds and their families and we are beginning to roll out one-to-one tuition on a national basis to pupils in key stages 2 and 3 who are falling behind.
	Targeted programmes such as the Extra Mile pathfinder and the extended services pilot for disadvantaged children are raising the aspirations and attainment of individual pupils. Last December, we legislated to require local authorities to set targets for the attainment of all free school meals pupils, to help ensure that help and support are targeted where they are most needed. And the Aimhigher Programme is raising aspirations in 41 areas by providing summer schools, university visits and masterclasses to 14-19 year-olds from low income households, as well as to Looked After Children and disabled young people from all backgrounds.
	All of this work is having an impact. The 2009 Early Years Foundation Stage Profile results show that children living in the most disadvantaged areas are improving faster than their peersthe gap has narrowed from 16 per cent. last year to 15 per cent. this year. In schools too, while the performance of all pupils has improved substantially over the last decade, some of the fastest progress has been made by children eligible for free school meals. To give just one example, between 2002 and 2008, the percentage of free school meals pupils achieving the equivalent of five or more good GCSEs rose by 17 percentage points (from 23 per cent. to 40 per cent.), in comparison with a 13.3 percentage point rise for non-free school meals pupils.
	Of course there is more to be done and in Breaking the Link between disadvantage and low attainment and the Schools White Paper we set out a wide range of further plans. These include a proposal to include a measure of schools progress in narrowing attainment gaps for their disadvantaged pupils in the new school report card, (on which we are currently consulting).

Teachers: Absenteeism

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to seek to reduce the level of absences due to stress amongst school staff.

Vernon Coaker: The Department recognises that there are a variety of factors that contribute to stress among teachers and the wider school workforce. Accordingly we have put in place a range of measures to address the causes.
	Through our ongoing work with social partners, we are undertaking a significant programme of workforce reform to help address those causes associated with workload. The National Agreement on Raising Standards and Tackling Workload, which was signed in January 2003, led to guaranteed time for planning, preparation and assessment, limits on the amount of cover teachers could do, and a transfer of admin tasks to support staff, all of which help address the issue of workload. There have also been increases in the number of teachers and support staff working in schools. Since 1997, the number of support staff has more than doubled and teacher numbers have risen by over 40,000.
	Encouraging better pupil behaviour and attendance also has a direct impact on reducing teacher stress. That is why we are investing in a comprehensive national programme to strengthen schools capacity to manage pupil behaviour.
	In addition we have encouraged better management of school workforce health matters through improved occupational health guidance for schools and local authorities, and we are working with employers to encourage early intervention to avoid ill health retirements. We have reinforced these moves through the release of guidance on common mental health problems which give practical advice on positive action to support teachers and the wider workforce through the stresses and strains that can arise through life and work.

Teachers: Lancashire

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) teachers and  (b) teaching assistants were working for Lancashire Education Authority (i) in 1997 and (ii) on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is published in tables 19 and 26 of the Statistical First Release (SFR) School Workforce in England (including Local Authority level figures) January 2009 (Revised) published on 29 September 2009. The SFR is available at the following web link:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000874/Tables19to27_Vals.xls

Teachers: Training

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many entrants for mathematics specialist initial teacher training there were in  (a) 2002,  (b) 2004,  (c) 2006 and  (d) 2008; and what percentage of the Department's target for each year these figures represented.

Vernon Coaker: The available information is given in the table.
	
		
			  Initial teacher training: Recruitment and place numbers. Years: 2001/02 to 2008/09. Coverage: England 
			   2001/02  2002/03  2003/04  2004/05  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08  2008/09 
			  Recruitment 
			 1. College based courses 
			 Primary and Secondary 29,190 31,280 33,930 34,520 33,700 32,650 31,350 31,270 
			  O f which: 
			 Secondary 16,060 16,760 18,290 17,980 17,440 17,040 16,230 15,950 
			  O f which: 
			 Specialising in Mathematics 1,550 1,670 1,940 2,030 1,920 2,000 1,970 2,040 
			  
			 2. College based courses and employment based routes 
			 Primary and Secondary 33,320 36,090 40,740 42,000 40,920 40,020 38,360 36,380 
			  O f which: 
			 Secondary 18,580 19,870 22,590 22,720 21,970 21,710 20,800 19,260 
			  O f which: 
			 Specialising in Mathematics 1,860 2,060 2,510 2,590 2,440 2,480 2,420 2,380 
			  
			  ITT places 
			 1. College based courses 
			 Primary and Secondary 29,890 31,790 34,675 35,800 34,300 32,800 31,300 n/a 
			  O f which: 
			 Secondary 17,390 17,790 19,475 19,500 18,500 17,500 16,500 n/a 
			  O f which: 
			 Specialising in Mathematics 1,940 1,940 2,315 2,350 2,350 2,350 2,350 n/a 
			  
			 2. College based courses and employment based routes 
			 Primary and Secondary n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 36,845 
			  O f which: 
			 Secondary n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 19,385 
			  O f which: 
			 Specialising in Mathematics n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 2,735 
			  
			  Percentage of recruitment against place numbers 
			 1. College based courses 
			 Primary and Secondary 97.7 98.4 97 8 96.4 98.3 99.5 100.2 n/a 
			  O f which: 
			 Secondary 92.3 94.2 93.9 92.2 94.3 97.4 98.4 n/a 
			  O f which: 
			 Specialising in Mathematics 80.1 86.3 83.9 86.3 81.7 84.9 84.0 n/a 
			  
			 2. College based courses and employment based routes 
			 Primary and Secondary n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 98.7 
			  O f which: 
			 Secondary n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 99.3 
			  of which: 
			 Specialising in Mathematics n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 87.1 
			 n/a = Not applicable  Notes: 1. Recruitment figures for 2008/09 are provisional and subject to change. College based recruitment for 2008/09 includes actual registrations and forecast trainees who are expected to enter ITT during the academic year. Employment based recruitment figures for 2008/09 were for the autumn term only. A further 1,900 trainees were expected to start on employment based routes during the year. 2. College based ITT recruitment includes Universities, other Higher Education Institutions, School Centred ITT (SCITT) and Open University. 3. Employment based ITT recruitment includes Teach First. The first year of the Teach First programme was 2003/04. 4. Recruitment numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. 5. Number of ITT places prior to 2008/09 include SCITT but exclude employment based ITT. Targets for 2008/09 onwards include employment based ITT.  Source: TDAs ITT Trainee Numbers Census and TDAs Employment Based Database

Broadband

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to upgrade broadband facilities in the UK.

Stephen Timms: We have recently set up the Network Design and Procurement Company as we pledged to do in the Digital Britain Report. The company will be responsible for procuring the upgrade and replacement works to deliver the Universal Service Commitment (USC) for 2 Mbps to virtually every community by 2012. In due course, it will also be responsible for the administration of the Next Generation Fund outlined in the Digital Britain White Paper, with a view to 90 per cent. of UK households having access to next generation broadband services by 2017.
	On take up of broadband and Digital Inclusion, the Government have also appointed Martha Lane Fox as our Digital Inclusion Champion. Her role will be to find ways of helping people without previous experience of computers to develop the skills needed to make use of the internet in order to take advantage of the benefits it offers.

Broadband: Finance

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of delivery of the universal service commitment of two megabits per second by 2012; and from which of his Departments budgets the funding for the commitment will be drawn.

Stephen Timms: The Government set out in the Digital Britain report that it would make available £200 million of public funds to support delivery of the universal service commitment of two megabits per second by 2012. This will be drawn from a combination of the underspend on the Digital Switchover Fund (from the TV licence fee) and the £750 million BIS Strategic Investment Fund announced in the budget to support advanced industrial projects of strategic importance.

Broadband: Finance

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the cost of delivery of next generation broadband to at least 90 per cent. of homes and businesses by 2017; what proportion of that cost will be funded from the public purse; and what arrangements he plans to make for such funding.

Stephen Timms: The Broadband Stakeholder Group published a report in September 2008 on the cost of delivering next generation broadband nationwide. This put the cost of UK-wide fibre networks at between £5.1 billion and 28.8 billion depending on the technology used.
	The Digital Britain Report indicated that around 60 per cent. of homes are likely to be served by next generation broadband purely through market provision. The Government have proposed a supplement of 50p per month on each fixed copper line in order to raise £150 million-£175 million a year. This will provide a fund earmarked for supporting delivery of next generation broadband to at least 90 per cent. of homes and businesses by 2017. The exact proportion of public and private investment in relation to those areas not served on a purely commercial basis by the market will be determined by a competitive process. We will bring forward for Parliaments approval legislation to deliver this fund in Spring 2010.

Business: UK Trade and Investment

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses with  (a) fewer than 50,  (b) between 51 and 100,  (c) between 101 and 250 and  (d) more than 250 employees received assistance from UK Trade and Investment in each of the last four years.

Ian Lucas: holding answer 22 October 2009
	 This information is publicly available in UKTIs Performance and Impact Monitoring Survey, available at
	www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk/ukti/pims
	This covers activity delivered from the period beginning 1 July 2005 through to the end December 2008. The reports include validated and de-duplicated total number of companies helped through UKTI trade services and a wide range of characteristics of those companies.

Business: UK Trade and Investment

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses received assistance from UK Trade and Investment in each of the last four years, broken down by  (a) region and  (b) local authority area.

Ian Lucas: holding answer 22 October 2009
	 The information is as follows:
	 (a) This information is publicly available in UKTIs Performance and Impact Monitoring Survey, available at
	www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk/ukti/pims
	This covers activity delivered from the period beginning 1 July 2005 through to the end December 2008. The reports include validated and de-duplicated total number of companies helped through UKTI trade services and a wide range of characteristics of those companies.
	 (b) UKTI does not hold this information.

Departmental Marketing

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department and its predecessor has spent on advertising and publicity in each of the last five years.

Patrick McFadden: Spending on advertising procured through the Central Office of Information by the former Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) in the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Campaign  Press  Radio  Poster  Internet  Media total 
			  2008-09  
			 Agency Workers Campaign 2008-09 (first part of the Vulnerable Workers campaign) 341,212 518,139   859,351 
			 Employing People 2008-09 37,140    37,140 
			 National Minimum Wage 2008-09 30,260 34,429 114,133  178,821 
			 Dispute Resolution 2008-09 5,977    5,977 
			 Trawlermen Compensation Scheme 2008-09 3,317    3,317 
			 Total 2008-09     1,084,606 
			   
			  2007-08  
			 Nuclear Energy Consultation 2007-08 146,380    146,380 
			 Employing People 2007-08 71,446    71,446 
			 National Minimum Wage 2007-08 4,447 392,297 157,411  554,155 
			 Total 2007-08     771,981 
			   
			  2006-07  
			 Consumer DirectThomson Directories 2006-07 581,424    581,424 
			 DTI Classified Recruitment 2006-07 11,457    11,457 
			 ACAS Miscellaneous Advertising Activity 2006-07 82,641 146,308   228,949 
			 Total 2006-07     821,830 
			   
			  2005-06  
			 Consumer Direct 2005-06 366,936 823,011 87,903 170,000 1,447,850 
			 DTI ClassifiedRecruitment Advertising 2005-06 31,099    31,099 
			 SBS Business Link 2005-06 1,502,301    1,502,301 
			 New National Minimum Wage 2005-06 328,603   41,000 369,603 
			 DirectgovDTI Employee Franchise 2005-06 117,690   10,000 127,690 
			 Total 2005-06     3,478,543 
			   
			  2004 - 05  
			 Consumer Direct 2004-05 170,600 326,738 209,150  706,488 
			 SBS Business Link 2004-05 552,712    552,712 
			 Import Licence Announcements 2004-05 74,300    74,300 
			 DTI Classified Recruitment Advertising 2004-05 41,007    41,007 
			 New Minimum Wage 2004-05 315,754    315,754 
			 Renewable Energy 2004-05 15,542    15,542 
			 Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion 2004-05 30,494    30,494 
			 Firework Safety 04-05 - (media only) 17,061 152,527 18,892  188,480 
			 DTI - Dispute Resolution (media only) 81,768    81,768 
			 SBS Press Media Buying Costs 2004-05     3,255 
			 Total 2004-05     2,009,800 
		
	
	Spending on advertising procured through the Central Office of Information by the former Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Press  Television  Radio  Media total 
			  2008-09 
			 Higher Education Student Finance campaign 2008-09 58,560 1,224,996 432,249 1,715,805 
			 Science Innovation Press Campaign 2008-09 149,577   149,577 
			 Total 2008/09    1,865,382 
			  
			  2007-08 
			 Higher Education Student Finance 2007-08 229,751 1,198,017 597,984 2,025,702 
			 Total 2007/08    2,025,702 
		
	
	Details of any other expenditure on advertising are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Spending on external public relations procured by the Strategic Marketing team via the Central Office of Information (COI) or placed directly with PR companies for BERR and DTI in the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			   Amount spent (£) 
			  2008-09 BERR  
			 Employing People 165,596.25 
			 Consumer Protection Regulations 112,142.03 
			 Flexible working 24,733.63 
			 Queen's Awards 19,875 
			 Renewable Energy 2,506.54 
			 Total 2008-09 324,853.45 
			  2007 - 08 DTI and BERR  
			 Enterprising Britain 172,630.27 
			 Renewable Energy 109,326.38 
			 Employing People 30,030 
			 Queen's Awards 17,254.61 
			 Fireworks safety 15,000 
			 Consumer Protection Regulations 73,000 
			 Total 2007-08 417,241.26 
			   
			  2006 - 07 DTI  
			 Business Link PR 179,113 
			 Gap Analysis 9,071 
			 DTI Renewable Energy PR 131,582 
			 Small Business Service (SBS) Enterprising Britain PR 163,642 
			 Total 2006-07 483,408 
			   
			  2005-06 DTI  
			 Consumer Direct PR 32,694 
			 Consumer Direct PR 239,050 
			 Renewable Energy PR 137,080 
			 Small Business Service (SBS) Enterprising Britain PR 76,240 
			 SBS Interim PR activity 105,786 
			 Total 2005-06 590,850 
			   
			  2004 - 05 DTI  
			 DTI Best Business Practice PR 346,205 
			 DTI Best Practice Media Evaluation 5,910 
			 DTI Dispute Resolution PR 74,962 
			 DTI Best Practice PR 158,898 
			 DTI Renewables 572,633 
			 SBS Sunday Times Enterprise Network Sponsorship 146,497 
			 Total 2004-05 1,305,105 
		
	
	Spending on public relations, including contracts placed by DIUS using a framework agreement and by COI on behalf of the Department, is as follows:
	2007-08 total: £261,072
	2008-09 total: £193,300.

Departmental Procurement

Mark Prisk: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the procurement budget of his Department and its predecessor was in each of the last five years; and what proportion of that budget was spent on contracts placed with small and medium-sized enterprises in each such year.

Patrick McFadden: The Department does not separately identify a procurement budget within its total allocation of resources and neither did its predecessor departments, BERR and DIUS.
	Information on the percentage of procurement spend with SMEs is not generally recorded but in 2007-08, an exercise was undertaken that showed that SMEs accounted for the following percentages of total procurement spend:
	BERR13 per cent.
	DIUS32 per cent.
	The definition of an SME is taken from the Glover Report, which refers to EU (Recommendation 2003/361/EC) and stipulates that an SME is an organisation with a headcount of less than 250 and a maximum turnover of £40 million.
	Further information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Procurement

Mark Prisk: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what percentage of procurement contracts  (a) his Department and its predecessors and  (b) its agencies awarded to small businesses in (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08, (iii) 2008-09 and (iv) 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: The Insolvency Service awarded the following percentage of procurement contracts to small businesses in each of the following financial years:
	
		
			   Percentage  Contracts awarded  To SMEs 
			 (1) 2006-07 50 10 5 
			 (2) 2007-08 80 10 8 
			 (3) 2008-09 59 17 10 
			 (4) 2009-10 (to date) 67 6 4 
		
	
	  Letter from Sarah Glasspool, dated 14 October 2009:
	The National Measurement Office does not currently record company information as to whether they are SMEs therefore it would take a disproportionate amount of time to obtain the information required for this PQ.
	  Letter from Gareth Jones:
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 12 October 2009, UIN 293247, to the Minister of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The percentage of procurement contracts awarded to small businesses by Companies House was as follows:-
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 2006-07 30.4 
			 2007-08 31.9 
			 2008-09 33.4 
			 2009-10 33.2 
		
	
	  Letter from Ian Fletcher, dated 15 October 2009:
	I am responding on behalf of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 12 October 2009, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The percentage of procurement contracts awarded to small businesses by the Intellectual Property Office is (i) 2006-07: 69%, (ii) 2007-08: 67%, (iii) 2008-09: 60%, and (iv) 2009-10: 46%
	  Letter from Stephen Speed:
	The Minister of State, for the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) has asked me to reply to you directly in respect of your question, what percentage of procurement contracts (a) his Department and its predecessors and (b) its agencies awarded to small businesses in (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08, (iii) 2008-09 and (iv) 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.
	The Insolvency Service awarded the following percentage of procurement contracts to small businesses in each of the following financial years:
	
		
			   Percentage  Contracts awarded  To SMEs 
			 (1) 2006-07 50 10 5 
			 (2) 2007-08 80 10 8 
			 (3) 2008-09 59 17 10 
			 (4) 2009-10 (to date) 67 6 4

Digital Broadcasting: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) households and  (b) businesses in Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency which will be liable for payment of the levy proposed in the .

Stephen Timms: This Department has made no specific estimate of the number of  (a) households and  (b) businesses in Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath liable for payment of the levy proposed in the Digital Britain White Paper.
	Ofcom estimates that there are 1,145,411 fixed lines in the West Midlands area. Ofcom do not have estimates for Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath. We recognise that those on the lowest incomes might have difficulty paying the fixed line levy and that is why we have confirmed that those on social telephony schemes will be exempt. The social telephony schemes are available to those on income support, income-based job seeker's allowance, employment support allowance (income rated) or guaranteed pensions credit.

Higher Education: Admissions

Anne Main: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people aged  (a) 21 years and under and  (b) over 21 years old in each socio-economic group resident in (i) St. Albans constituency, (ii) Hertfordshire, (iii) the East of England and (iv) England attended university in each of the last five years.

David Lammy: The latest available information from the Higher Education Statistics Agency is shown in tables 1 to 4. The figures are shown for full-time undergraduate entrants as socio-economic class (SEC) information is not available for part-time higher education students. Figures are provided for entrants aged under 21, and 21 and over as the socio-economic class data has a different basis for these two distinct age groups. Socio-economic class is based on occupation information: those aged under 21 provide their parents occupation, and those aged 21 and over provide their own occupation.
	
		
			  Table 1: Full-time undergraduate entrants from St. Albans parliamentary constituency( 1) , UK higher education institutions( 2) ,  academic years  2003/04 to 2007/08 
			   2003/04  2004/05  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08 
			  Socio-economic classification  Under 21  21 and over  Under 21  21 and over  Under 21  21 and over  Under 21  21 and over  Under 21  21 and over 
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 150 10 180 10 150 10 160 5 160 10 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 140 5 165 15 165 15 155 15 165 10 
			 Intermediate occupations 60 15 65 10 60 10 65 5 55 5 
			 Small employers and own account workers 35 5 25 5 15 0 30 5 25 5 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 10 0 20 0 10 0 10 0 10 0 
			 Semi-routine occupations 25 10 40 5 30 10 40 10 30 10 
			 Routine occupations 10 5 15 5 10 0 10 0 10 5 
			 Missing(3) 65 85 80 85 150 85 95 55 110 105 
			 (1) The table does not include entrants whose constituency cannot be established due to missing or invalid home postcodes. (2) Excludes the Open university due to inconsistencies in their coding of entrants across the time series. (3) Includes those classified as Never worked and long-term unemployed, Not classified and Missing.  Note: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Full-time undergraduate entrants from Hertfordshire local authority( 1) ,  UK higher education institutions( 2) ,  a cademic years 2003/04 to 2007/08 
			   2003/04  2004/05  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08 
			  Socio - economic classification  Under 21  21 and over  Under 21  21 and over  Under 21  21 and over  Under 21  21 and over  Under 21  21 and over 
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 1,710 80 1,550 70 1,500 75 1,430 50 1,575 65 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 1,860 110 1,535 150 1,495 135 1,485 120 1,585 115 
			 Intermediate occupations 835 130 675 110 700 110 705 75 675 85 
			 Small employers and own account workers 405 20 300 30 300 20 315 25 335 35 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 265 10 215 15 190 10 195 20 190 20 
			 Semi-routine occupations 560 105 385 85 425 120 405 80 420 115 
			 Routine occupations 225 40 140 30 155 40 170 35 155 35 
			 Missing(3) 1,105 920 915 915 1,375 935 1,030 815 1,140 955 
			 (1) The table does not include entrants whose local authority cannot be established due to missing or invalid home postcodes. (2) Excludes the Open university due to inconsistencies in their coding of entrants across the time series. (3) Includes those classified as Never worked and long-term unemployed, Not classified and Missing.  Note: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Full-time undergraduate entrants from East of England Government office region( 1) , UK higher education institutions( 2) , academic years 2003/04 to 2007/08 
			   2003/04  2004/05  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08 
			  Socioeconomic classification  Under 21  21  over  Under 21  21  over  Under 21  21  over  Under 21  21  over  Under 21  21  over 
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 4,230 225 5,375 265 5,470 275 5,230 245 6,040 165 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 5,970 715 6,110 535 6,305 635 6,050 575 6,905 530 
			 Intermediate occupations 2,195 575 2,510 480 2,735 500 2,515 400 2,850 400 
			 Small employers and own account workers 1,370 135 1,360 105 1,460 120 1,425 105 1,615 95 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 1,115 90 885 85 925 75 930 70 1,090 60 
			 Semi-routine occupations 2,280 745 1,700 440 1,905 595 1,845 500 2,165 575 
			 Routine occupations 1,375 280 745 130 765 180 875 185 985 190 
			 Missing(3) 5,285 5,545 4,495 4,780 5,315 4,580 4,805 4,245 6,010 4,090 
			 (1 )The table does not include entrants whose Government office region cannot be established due to missing or invalid home postcodes. (2 )Excludes the Open university due to inconsistencies in their coding of entrants across the time series. (3 )Includes those classified as Never worked and long-term unemployed, Not classified and Missing.  Note: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded to the nearest five.  Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4 : Full-time undergraduate entrants from  England , UK higher education institutions( 1) ,  academic years  2003/04 to 2007/08 
			   2003/04  2004/05  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08 
			  Socio-economic classification  Under 21  21 and over  Under 21  21 and over  Under 21  21 and over  Under 21  21 and over  Under 21  21 and over 
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 44,480 2,640 44,595 2,535 44,810 2,880 43,680 2,575 47,520 2,705 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 55,740 7,195 57,350 7,190 58,620 8,170 56,160 6,960 58,810 7,480 
			 Intermediate occupations 23,775 6,335 24,360 6,000 25,175 6,635 23,935 5,335 25,155 6,235 
			 Small employers and own account workers 12,860 1,370 13,025 1,290 13,515 1,605 13,795 1,355 14,425 1,535 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 9,110 850 8,750 825 9,355 1,025 9,005 865 9,275 1,055 
			 Semi-routine occupations 18,965 6,720 19,050 6,465 21,040 7,615 20,715 6,955 22,390 8,520 
			 Routine occupations 8,775 2,190 8,630 2,055 9,365 2,480 9,665 2,495 10,080 2,935 
			 Missing(2) 46,340 55,520 48,345 56,360 59,260 54,265 53,470 52,095 54,520 54,100 
			 (1) Excludes the Open university due to inconsistencies in their coding of entrants across the time series. (2) Includes those classified as Never worked and long-term unemployed, Not classified and Missing.  Note: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Higher Education: Birmingham

Richard Burden: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many school students from Birmingham, Northfield constituency entered higher education in each of the last 10 years.

David Lammy: It is not possible to identify whether entrants to higher education from Birmingham Northfield constituency attended schools or further education colleges. The numbers of 18 and 19-year-old undergraduate entrants to UK Higher Education Institutions from Birmingham Northfield constituency are given as an alternative in the table.
	Undergraduate entrants from Birmingham Northfield constituency are defined by full and valid home post codes recorded for the student in the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student record. Some of these students, although resident in Birmingham Northfield, may not have attended schools in Birmingham Northfield constituency.
	Figures for the 2008/09 academic year will be available from HESA in January 2010.
	
		
			  18 and 19-year-old undergraduate entrants( 1)  from Birmingham Northfield constituency( 2)  UK higher education institutions( 3) academic years 1998/99 to 2007/08 
			  Academic year  18-year-old entrants  19-year-old entrants 
			 1998/99 95 40 
			 1999/2000 130 70 
			 2000/01 140 60 
			 2001/02 155 50 
			 2002/03 155 70 
			 2003/04 165 70 
			 2004/05 145 45 
			 2005/06 180 85 
			 2006/07 160 75 
			 2007/08 155 80 
			 (1) Covers entrants to full-time and part-time courses. (2) The figures in the answer do not include entrants where the constituency of the student cannot be established due to missing or invalid information. (3) Excludes the Open university due to inconsistencies in their coding of entrants across the time series.  Note: Figures are based on a snapshot as at 1 December and have been rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

Israel: Natural Gas

Chris Mullin: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received regarding a proposed agreement between the Israel Electric Corporation and British Gas to purchase gas from the Gaza Marine Field; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Lucas: Ministers from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) have received no recent representations on a proposed agreement between the Israel Electric Corporation and BG Group to purchase gas from the Gaza Marine field.

Musical Instruments: Manufacturing Industries

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what his Department's policy is on supporting UK manufacturers of musical instruments.

Ian Lucas: There is no specific support for UK manufacturers of musical instruments however the Government have an extensive programme of support for manufacturing through Business Link particularly through the Manufacturing Advisory Service, and the Real Help for Business package that was launched in January 2009.
	Both can be accessed at:
	http://www.businesslink.gov.uk

National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts: Finance

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1433W, on public bodies: finance, what the return profit from the portfolio of investments in companies and loans held by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, known as NESTA Investments, was in each year since 1998.

David Lammy: NESTAs early stage investment activity was launched as a fully commercial operation in March 2007 under the name of NESTA Investments. Prior to this, investment activity was not fully commercial in remit and consisted of a mixture of grants, interest free loans and other instruments.
	Since the formation of NESTA Investments, the profits on disposal of investments to third parties held in the NESTA Investment portfolio were £278,000 in 2007-08 and £133,000 in 2008-09.
	I have been advised by NESTA that NESTA Investments is expected to realise the value of its portfolio over the next five to seven years. This time frame is the average period that seed funds operating in this field tend to hold their investments, before realisation.

Rover Group: Serious Fraud Office

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills when the team investigating the collapse of MG Rover first notified the Government that there were sufficient grounds for referral to the Serious Fraud Office.

Ian Lucas: The Inspectors kept the Department informed of the areas of concern and the potential misconduct that they uncovered during the course of the Inspection. They did not consider that there were specific issues that needed to be referred to the Serious Fraud Office during the Inspection.
	However, when the final report was delivered it was clear that, when read in its entirety, it raised serious questions as to criminality. In particular, the Inspectors found that members of the Phoenix Consortium obtained unreasonably large financial rewards and that they undertook a number of transactions to allocate assets to companies in the Group other than MG Rover Group and in which MGRG had no interest. The Secretary of State considered that it was important to establish whether a criminal investigation into possible criminal conduct was appropriate before publication of the report. Given the Serious Fraud Office's responsibility for dealing with allegations of this type it was appropriate to refer the matter to them for their consideration.

Royal Mail: Industrial Disputes

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate has been made of the revenue Royal Mail lost as a result of industrial action  (a) in 2007 and  (b) between January and October 2009.

Patrick McFadden: Estimates of revenue loss due to industrial action is a matter for Royal Mail. I have therefore asked the Chief Executive of Royal Mail, Adam Crozier, to provide a direct reply to the hon. Member.
	A copy of the response will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Students: Disabled

David Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students in each region have received disabled students' allowance in each year since its introduction.

David Lammy: As part of widening participation, the Government gives generous financial support to disabled students in higher education. Disabled students' allowances (DSAs) are available to help with the extra costs students may incur on their course as a direct result of a disability, mental health condition or specific learning difficulty. DSAs are paid in addition to the standard student support package; they are not means tested and do not have to be repaid.
	In 2009/10 eligible undergraduate students may receive the following:
	
		
			  Allowance  Maximum payable to eligible full-time undergraduates (£)  Maximum payable to eligible part-time undergraduates (£) 
			 Specialist equipment allowance (for the duration of the course) 5,161 5,161 
			 Non-medical helper allowance 20,520 15,390 
			 General allowance 1,724 1,293 
			 Travel allowance Unlimited Unlimited 
		
	
	For postgraduate students (full or part-time) there is one allowance to meet all costs, up to £10,260 in 2009/10.
	Information on DSA by region is set out in the following table
	
		
			  Recipients of disabled student allowances by academic year and region( 1) 
			  Thousand 
			  Region of recipients latest home postcode( 2)  2004/05  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08( 3) 
			 East Midlands 2.1 2.4 2.7 2.9 
			 East of England 2.7 2.9 3.3 3.5 
			 London 5.6 5.8 6.1 6.2 
			 North East 0.9 1.0 1.0 1.1 
			 North West 3.4 3.9 4.3 4.7 
			 South East 5.5 6.2 6.4 6.9 
			 South West 3.9 4.3 4.5 4.8 
			 West Midlands 2.6 2.8 3.2 3.5 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 2.2 2.5 2.7 2.9 
			 Scotland 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2 
			 Wales 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 
			 Unknown(4) 3.1 3.4 3.6 3.8 
			 Total England domiciled at time of application 32.3 35.6 38.2 40.7 
			 (1) DSA claims can be made retrospectively against earlier academic years. Table shows data at 31 March 2009. (2) The table covers students who were domiciled in England at the time of their first application for student support. The region shown relates to the postcode of the latest home address held by SLC, which may be the recipients address after leaving university. Some recipients from England have subsequently moved to Scotland or Wales. (3) Provisional. (4) Unknown covers those with missing or invalid postcode information, and English domiciled recipients who subsequently moved abroad. Consistent data are not available before academic year 2004/05.  Source: Student Loans Company (SLC)

Students: Disabled

David Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much has been spent on disabled students allowance in each year since its introduction.

David Lammy: As part of widening participation, the Government give generous financial support to disabled students in higher education. Disabled Students Allowances (DSAs) are available to help with the extra costs students may incur on their course as a direct result of a disability, mental health condition or specific learning difficulty. DSAs are paid in addition to the standard student support package; they are not means tested and do not have to be repaid.

Students: Finance

Richard Spring: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what proportion of students from Suffolk were receiving non-repayable maintenance grants from Suffolk Local Education Authority in each of the last five years; and what average grant was received.

David Lammy: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  Students awarded grants in Suffolk( 1) 
			  Academic year  Number of students awarded grants  Average Amount awarded (£)  Students awarded grants as a percentage of all those awarded some form of support 
			 2004/05 1,170 1,140 13 
			 2005/06 2,040 1,060 22 
			 2006/07 3,520 1,640 36 
			 2007/08 4,430 1,840 43 
			 2008/09 (provisional)(2) 5,460 2,170 54 
			 (1) Figures cover the higher education grant, the maintenance grant and grants and allowances for children and dependents. (2) Provisional 2008/09 data at mid-November 2008. Figures may change as later applications are processed.  Source: Student Loans Company 
		
	
	Grant figures in the tables cover the higher education grant, introduced in 2004, the maintenance grant, phased in from 2006, and grants and allowances for children and dependents. Different amounts are available for each type of grant. Figures contain students in each year of their courses. The amount a student receives depends on household income, year of entry to higher education and personal circumstances.

UK Trade and Investment

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many UK Trade and Investment employees have taken time off work as a result of diagnosed stress in each of the last five years.

Ian Lucas: The number of staff in UKTI (London and Glasgow) who took certified sick leave due to anxiety/stress/depression/other psychiatric illness in each of the last five years are as follows:
	
		
			   Number of staff 
			 2004 9 
			 2005 8 
			 2006 10 
			 2007 6 
			 2008 7 
		
	
	It is not possible to identify staff who suffered from stress alone.

UK Trade and Investment

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what  (a) accommodation and  (b) staff costs his Department incurred in relation to UK Trade and Investment employees based overseas in 2008.

Ian Lucas: Overseas accommodation and staffing costs are borne by our parent Departments, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. As part of the end-of year internal cost attribution process, the FCO does produce an estimated cost for overseas expenditure in these categories.
	In 2008-09 the following costs were attributed to UKTI and are recorded in the UK Trade and Investment Departmental Report and Resource Accounts 2008-09, published 20 July and as presented to the House of Commons. ISBN: 9 78 010296 1706.
	  (a) £24.598 million
	  (b) £51.4 million.

UK Trade and Investment

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what expenditure has been incurred on marketing UK Trade and Investment in each of the last four years.

Ian Lucas: Marketing of UK Trade and Investment is an integrated part of the promotion of exporting/trade development or marketing of the UK, not a separate function. UKTI Marketing Group programme spend over the last four years:
	
		
			   £ Million 
			 2008-09 10 
			 2007-08 9.1 
			 2006-07 9.8 
			 2005-06 9.7 
		
	
	This represents programme expenditure by UKTIs Marketing Group only and does not represent UKTIs total expenditure on marketing the UK and UKTIs services. Additional expenditure is spread across UKTIs groups to varying degrees over the four year period.
	 Note:
	These figures include spend on activity in the UK and overseas, the latter predominantly, though not exclusively, being activity to help achieve foreign direct investment targets. It also includes spend on developing the sector marketing strategies.

UK Trade and Investment

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment has been made of UK Trade and Investments performance against its targets for attracting  (a) high value,  (b) good quality and  (c) priority projects in each of the last four years.

Ian Lucas: Foreign Direct Investment targets according to  (a) high value,  (b) good quality and  (c) priority project classifications have only been used for the last two years. Previously, UKTI has benchmarked against knowledge driven targets.
	Targets for 2007-08 to 2009-10 and outturn for 2007-08 and 2008-09 are as follows:
	
		
			   Target 2007-08 to 2009-10  Outturn 2007-08  Outturn 2008-09 
			 (a) High Value 125 182 262 
			 (b) Good Quality 285 255 244 
			 (c) RDA Priority 115 112 94 
			 Totals 525 549 600

UK Trade and Investment

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much was spent on  (a) car hire,  (b) train travel,  (c) air travel,  (d) hotels and  (e) restaurants by UK Trade and Investment in each of the last four years.

Ian Lucas: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) does not directly employ staff but draws on resource from its two parent departments the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). UKTI has offices in 98 different countries, the nine English regions, London and Glasgow.
	UKTI holds financial information on travel costs at the aggregate level centrally whilst detailed information is held locally. To provide the information requested would require obtaining detailed information from each location and therefore can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

UK Trade and Investment

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much was spent on  (a) standard,  (b) business and  (c) first class air travel by UK Trade and Investment in each of the last four years.

Ian Lucas: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) does not directly employ staff but draws on resource from its two parent Departments the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). UKTI has offices in 98 different countries, the nine English regions, London and Glasgow.
	UKTI holds financial information on travel costs at the aggregate level centrally whilst detailed information is held locally. To provide the information requested would require obtaining detailed information from each location and therefore can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.